A week long industrial campaign against Flags of Convenience
Seafarers and dock workers unions in designated ports of Chennai, Tuticorin, Paradip, Kolkata & Haldia along the east coast of India and neighboring Colombo in Sri Lanka, launched a week long industrial campaign (24-28 November 2014), against `Flags of Convenience’ (FOC) shipping.
ITF Inspectors and union activists inspected a total of 16 ships on the first day of action week – checking crew contracts and working and living conditions on board FOC vessels notorious for employing seafarers on exploitative conditions.
In Visakhapatnam out of 4 ships inspected, three of the FOC ships were found covered by IBF framework agreements and no issues were raised by the crew. A non covered vessel was inspected and the ITF Inspector is in discussion with the owners/operators to have the vessel covered.
In Chennai, The ITF Inspector inspected a vessel and found the ship did not have an ITF approved wage agreement covering its crew and officers. The matter has been taken up with the owners of the company and negotiations are on.
In Kolkata, ITF Inspector boarded vessel and discovered that the Myanmar crew members were receiving very low wages. The AB was found to be getting USD 346. The crew wages do not even comply with the ILO recommended minimum wages for seafarers working on board FOC vessels. This was pointed out as a violation of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006. Talks have begun with the owners of the vessel to cover the crew with an ITF approved collective agreement. Another vessel was also inspected and a number of issues were found with regard to clarification of the vessel flag status. Contact has been established with ITF affiliates in Portugal and their advise is being solicited.
A vessel which was targeted in Tuticorin but subsequently left the port is going to be inspected again at its next port Visakhapatnam and action is being coordinated with the Japanese Seafarers Union to have the vessel covered. In addition three other vessels were inspected of which two were covered by Singaporean national agreements.
Also 4 vessels were inspected in the port of Colombo and 1 vessel each in Haldia & Paradip port. Detailed reports are awaited. Staggered Weeks of Action are being organized this year by ITF Unions in the sub continent ports in November and December
Source: ITF
