SUR Labor Inspectors met Russian seafarers on board MV Selenga

Inspectors of the Far Eastern Territorial Organization of the Seafarers’ Union of Russia (FETO SUR) visited the MV "Selenga" (flag of the Russian Federation, IMO 8714657), berthed under unloading at the Nakhodka sea commercial port. The registered owner, operator and beneficial owner of the vessel is the Sakhalin Shipping Company (SASCO). The crew consists of 17 Russian seafarers. FETO SUR Chairman Nikolay Sukhanov told that the captain welcomed the trade union inspectors on board the vessel, showed all the necessary documents and answered questions. 

The captain said that the vessel has a collective agreement concluded between the shipping company and the Sakhalin Transport Workers' Union. Nikolay Sukhanov noted that according to the individual contract, the salary of an AB Seaman was RUB9,051. There was an additional payment provided to the salary - a compensation for harmful working conditions, a night work bonus, extra payment for emergency work, a regional premium rate, a coefficient for work in the Far North. In addition, according to the collective agreement, “the employer guarantees that the monthly wage of an employee who has worked all core working hours during this period and has fulfilled work-related duties, cannot be less than the minimum wage established in the Sakhalin region by the Agreement on the Minimum wages for the related year." 

The SUR FETO head reminded, that in accordance with the recommendations of the Maritime Labor Convention 2006 and the decision of the  Joint Maritime Commission of the International Labor Organization, the minimum basic wage for an able seafarer is increased to USD666 as of 1 January 2024. “Thus, the existing system of remuneration for seafarers working on vessels under the Russian flag should be amended, since it does not allow the seafarer to understand his average earnings,” Sukhanov commented. — Besides, the employment contracts of the MV Selenga crew indicate that all seafarers are insured by the Social Insurance Fund of the Russian Federation. However, the document does not contain a specific amount that relatives would receive in the event of a seafarer's death on a voyage due to heart attack or stroke. Although the Art. 60 clause 2 of Merchant Shipping Code states that the shipowner is obliged to insure the life and health of the seaman. There are insurance certificates on board, as required by the MLC, but they don't stipulate clear amount of the insurance payout in case of natural death of a seafarer on board. 

By the way, the crew members themselves do not know the amount of these insurance payouts. During this meeting the SUR representatives answered the questions of the seafarers and gave them fresh magazines "Maritime Unions Herald" which tell about the SUR activities, and calendars for 2024. -Currently, industry trade unions are negotiating with employers and the government to conclude a Federal Industrial Agreement on Maritime Transport for the next few years, where proposals to improve conditions and remuneration of labor of seafarers are being considered and taken into account, - the SUR Labor Inspectors told the crew of MV Selenga.

Photo – FETO SUR