The first but not the last one

The Seafarers’ Union of Russia has signed the first ITF Collective Agreement for the Black Sea region with “Seatrans Consulting Ltd.”. From now on two vessels, “Rada” and “Rapida”, are covered with the agreement and the Russians crew members are guaranteed with fair working conditions and wages and are under protection of the SUR.

As the SUR Vice-President Alexander Ageev told us, signing of the agreement had been preceded by complicated negotiations. For a long time the company refused to sign the ITF Standard CBA, as the wages it stipulates are were too high for the Black Sea Region, where freight rates were lower than in the ocean going shipping. But since the ITF Uniform Collective Agreement for the Black Sea was approved by the ITF Fair Practices Committee in spring 2013 the situation began to change. 

“The Black Sea trade is characterized by low freight rates, short distances, frequent port calls with harbour dues creating heavy prassure on shipping companies, - Alexander Ageev explained. – By these and many other reasons the wages in the region are much lower than in the Baltic region for instance, and it is difficult to demand from the companies to sign the ITF Standard CBA. Therefore time has come to work out a new uniform agreement with lower rates. This eventually has been done. Now it is much easier to deal with the shipowners. On the one hand the agreement sets out the rates applicable both to seafarers and shipowners stipulating the exact sum of compensation for disability and death. On the other hand a collective agreement on board the ship is obligatory in line with the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, which has come into force”.

In addition it should be noted that the Black Sea region is watched closely by the ITF and its affiliates, including the SUR, for the purpose to make shipping more civilized. In order to draw public attention to employers’ methods of making money and working conditions of seafarers, a campaign called “The Black Sea of Shame” was launched in May. According to the ITF nearly 2 500 vessels operate at the Black Sea. 1 500 of them are over twenty and 800 are over thirty years old. The average wages of crew members are considerably lower than the wages in other regions. The ITF Collective Agreement is more likely an exception than the rule. Anyhow, things have started moving as one can see.   

“Now we are negotiating the second ITF Collective Agreement for the Black Sea. But now it’s too early to show our cards”, - the Vice-President added.