TiSA could open the transport of what has been classed as national cargo by all parties – potentially including ships owned by parties flying the flag of a third country – a flag of convenience, or FOC.
That’s from Rosalind Muir from the Rail and Maritime Union of New Zealand (RMTU) at the closing of the Maritime Roundtable, an ITF activist event that’s been taking place in Montreal, Canada this week.
The issue was revealed when a visit to the chartered vessel Hanjin Marine by ITF inspector Jeff Engels to check on the crew’s welfare on Monday (after they had waited three weeks for a berth) revealed that, although the crew are being paid and there is two months’ food onboard, the US Customs and
Seafarers’ unions affiliated to the confederation CONTTMAF (Confederação Nacional dos Trabalhadores em Transportes Aquaviários e Aéreos, na Pesca e nos Portos) signed a collective agreement with Petrobras subsidiary Transpetro on 16 September, after 94 percent of members
The detention, which was put in place on Wednesday afternoon, is over wages owed to the replacement crew of the vessel.
Includes a guide to what the flags of convenience system really means for seafarers. We look at some cases of abandonment, where the FOC system gets in the way of seafarers winning unpaid wages and being repatriated. And we look at some examples of how the system delays justice when seafarers are caught up in criminal investigations.
Some 40 participants gathered at the Park Royal hotel, Yangon from 3 to 6 October for a seminar on the MLC, which Myanmar ratified on 26 May.
Fifteen women and sixteen men from 21 countries participated in an ITF workshop in Dakar, Senegal from 27-30 September.
There are around 70 participants taking part in ITF Summer School which this year is being delivered entirely in Arabic.
ITF summer school has been running for 15 years. It provides an annual space for trade unionists to meet and share knowledge and experience.
