Сaptain of bulk carrier "Paras" is proud to be a member of Philippine seafarers' union AMOSUP

A Filipino seafarer showed his membership card to representatives of the Far Eastern Territorial Organization of the Seafarers' Union of Russia (FETO SUR) visited the bulker berthed at Nakhodka to load coal destined for South Korea. Despite such confidence in the unions, the captain, however, refused to show any ship documents to the FETO Inspectors: according to him, the UAE-based shipowner Central Ship MGMT LTD DMCC forbade to show any document without permission to  representatives of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) and ITF-affiliated organizations. Even the crew members themselves do not know the exact amount of their wages - their contracts, at the behest of the employer, are locked in the captain's safe.

The shipowner, obviously, aims to conceal the amount of wages he pays to the crew, –  FETO SUR Chairman Nikolay Sukhanov said. - It is quite clear why he opted for a flag of  convenience for his vessel: for him it is a convenient way to hire cheap labor. Of course, there is no ITF collective agreement on board the bulker. We told the crew that if it were in place, the salary  of the AB Seaman would be $1,836 and the insurance amount in case of a crew member's death would be  $110,000.  The crew do not know anything about their due insurance  amount either.

In total, the crew of Paras (IMO 9277656, the flag of the Marshall Islands, 2004-built) is 23 people - 11 Filipinos and 12 Indians. They took interest in books on the rights of seafarers working under flags of convenience, as well as the latest issues of the “Maritime Unions  Herald” magazine, which contain information about the activities of the SUR and the ITF in protecting the rights and interests of seafarers. The union representatives gave them those books and the magazines during their visit. 

The publications will help the crew members to  answers those questions that the representatives of the Far East Territorial Organization did not have time to cover during the meeting.

It should be noted that during their visit, the Union Inspectors specifically focused on the struggle  the ITF is pushing back against the flags of convenience. “The main purpose we pursue when visiting  FOC vessels is to negotiate with the owners on signing collective agreements with trade unions,” -  Nikolay Sukhanov added. “Collective agreement on board  will safeguard and improve  seafarers'  employment conditions and ensure that all seafarers, regardless of color, nationality, gender, race or creed, are protected from exploitation by employers and those acting on their behalf”. 

The seafarers shared the Union's views and  asked the FETO SUR representatives to send a notice to the shipowner demanding the immediate conclusion of an ITF collective agreement.  The FETO SUR representatives invited the crew to visit the International Marine Club in Nakhodka in their spare time.