A seafarer maintained his health thanks to the trade union's assistance

A crew member of m/v "Topaz Moskva" applied to the primary trade union organization of Topaz Astrakhan LLC (which is the part of  SUR Southern Territorial Organization). During the passage from Spain to the UK the seafarer started to feel intense  backache which were remaining upon  arrival at the port. A doctor came  on board to provide medical assistance to the seafarer, but he did not consider his condition as critical to his health.

Meanwhile, the seafarer felt worse, the pain was getting stronger. The ill seafarer feared to remain on board without medical assistance during the week-long  passage to the next port of call, so he contacted the union. The case was taken over by the SUR Southern Territorial Organization Chairman Nikolay Popov.  Vadim Ivanov, SUR Vice Chairman, Head of  SUR Foreign Relations, also intervened the situation, he personally participated many times in providing prompt support to Russian seafarers  in foreign ports. 

Owing to the well-coordinated actions of several SUR  departments the seafarer was urgently sent to the hospital and   immediately provided with the medical treatment needed. It took quite a bit of time for him to recover, and the seafarer  managed to return on board before the vessel's departure from the UK port. When the threat to health had passed, he thanked the union for taking part  in the favorable settlement of the issue.

Let us add that Topaz and SUR have a strong partnership. For several years the company has established itself as a socially responsible employer that complies with international standards adopted in shipping. “Any seafarer can consult the trade union on any issue related to working conditions, and he can do it beforehand, prior setting to sail.  Not a single appeal to the SUR is left without attention. Never lose contact with seafarers is a priority for the union”, - Nikolay  Popov noted.