Tag: wages

Following the joint efforts of the ITF, the MTWTU, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, as well as lawyers, seafarers’ relatives and other parties concerned, 57 Ukrainian seafarers returned back home in June and July of 2018, after being stranded in abandoned vessels for months. 

AMSA announced ban of the Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier 'Shandong Hai Wang' for 12 months, over deliberate crew underpayment, on 7 July. ITF welcomed this action saying that 'this is the kind of enforcement that seafarers deserve from all authorities'.

AMSA announced ban of the Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier 'Shandong Hai Wang' for 12 months, over deliberate crew underpayment, on 7 July. The ship was immediately detained for breaching the Maritime Labour Convention which sets out seafarers' rights to decent working conditions.

Manning costs have increased in 2018 after many years of stagnation, as pressure in most cargo shipping markets has been reduced, allowing employers to lift wage levels, especially amongst the market-related officer ranks. As Drewry notes, the mean aggregate manning costs increased by about 1% in 2018.

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dr. Dakuku Peterside welcomed member states of the International Labour Organisation, Shipowners and representatives of seafarers, acknowledging the importance of seafarers’ welfare in the MLC 2006 amendments.

The ITF and Nautilus International are about to call for an increase in the global minimum wage for seafarers. According to the Joint Maritime Commission, currently the global minimum wage for seafarers is $614 per month. Nautilus International general secretary Mark Dickinson will lead the seafarers' delegation on behalf of the ITF during discussion within the Joint Maritime Commission.

The amendment will be submitted to the next ILO session for adoption. When it enters into force, it foresees that the seafarers’ wages and other contractual entitlements will continue to be paid during the entire period of captivity. This will provide the families with the necessary means of survival.

​The increased number of reported cases of abandonment of seafarers is being highlighted at the 105th session of IMO's Legal Committee, currently underway, from 23 to 25 April. A joint ILO/IMO database recorded 55 such cases during 2017, against an average 19 annually during the preceding three years.

16 crew members of the container ship 'Avonmoor', who had been abandoned in the Port of Casablanca, Morocco, since January 2018, have been now repatriated home to the Ukraine, after efforts of International Transport Workers’ Federation Inspectors, and ITF affiliate, Moroccan Workers' Union.

As part of its continuing effort to combat dwindling orders, South Korea's largest shipbuilder HHI revealed plans to carry out a voluntary retirement program. The shipbuilder said it has offered to provide up to 20 months' salary to those who apply for the program by April 29.