The Hindu Business Line : ITF inspects vessels to ensure fair wages

DOCKERS and seafarers unions in India have sent a strong message to ship owners warning them against Flag of Convenience (FoC) shipping, as the week-long action entered the fourth day today.

An International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) release issued here said that ship inspections of mercantile vessels in Indian ports by the unions led to the signing of two agreements ensuring respectable wages to seafarers and payment of over $35,000 in back wages to them.

An ITF approved agreement was signed by the ITF Inspector, Mr Stephen Fernado, on board MV Safinaz at the Tuticorin Port. The vessel is owned in Hong Kong, managed from Singapore with crew and officers from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Ghana. The new agreement will now ensure that crew employed on board the vessel will receive respectable wages and decent work conditions.

At the Kochi Port, the ITF inspector, Mr Thomas Sebastian, visited five vessels anchored in various berths and issued warning to sign the ITF approved agreement regarding the crew. The vessels are Kinship Lucky, Bage Clipper, Fabian Shulte, Asian Pegasus and Sea Emperor.

Action on board Maltese Flag vessel Selcon at Mumbai, which was paying poor wages to its crew, brought to Bangladesh owner to the negotiating table as he agreed to pay arrears of wages amounting to $20,000 to the crew.

Union activists also found similar exploitation of crew on board another Maltese flagged vessel X-press Kailash and the owners agreed to pay wage arrears to the tune of $15,000.

In Haldia, the ITF Inspector, Mr Chinmoy Roy, while inspecting vessels, nabbed two persons faking as ITF inspectors with forged ITF Blue certificates and blank copies of ITF special agreement.

The problem of fake inspectors harassing and extorting money from masters had been a long time menace.

The ITF brings together 600 unions in more than 138 countries in every part of the world and represents over five million trade union members in every branch of transport.

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