"It is great that there are organizations that are not indifferent to the misfortunes of ordinary people"

Primary trade union organization of the seafarers of the Seafarers Union of Russia in  Vladivostok  used to receive appeals from all over Primorsky region. However it happens that requests for help come from more distant regions of the country. For example, on February 17, the trade union committee received a letter from the sister of a seafarer living in the Simferopol district of the Republic of Crimea. The sister of the AB working on board the large refrigerator trawler Novouralsk (IMO 7943184,  flag of Russia) informed the Union representatives her brother  was refused to be sighed off from the vessel .

According to her, the seafarer joined the vessel in June 2019. Six months later, on December 11, he asked for discharging. On January 24, the company sent a reliever, but he was never sent home though his employment contract has been expired. Instead, the AB was transferred from his position to the position of OS  and continue his work. The seafarer refused to take another position despite threats to transfer him to passengers.

In an effort to help her brother, Svetlana Anatolyevna sent letters to all possible authorities: the prosecutor's office, the State Labor Inspectorate, and the press. She also contacted the trade union committee of seafarers in Vladivostok as the office of the shipowner- Vostokrybprom LLC is located in this city. According to her, at that time her brother was completely desperate and for several days refused to take food and water in protest against keeping him on board.

Petr Osichanskiy, chairman of the primary trade union organization of seafarers  in Vladivostok  got in touch with the shipowner and demanded to inform about the actions to solve this problem:

"The next day a meeting was held in the union’s office where the deputy director of the company and the head of the personnel department came. They assured that the crewmember will soon be repatriated to Vladivostok and will go ashore on February 25th. They also confirmed that he would receive the guaranteed salary in full according to the contract without any deductions for staying on board the vessel as a passenger. Soon we received a letter signed by the general director of Vostokrybprom LLC, V. A. Litvinenko, confirming this information", said Petr Osichanskiy.

And just a few days later the trade union committee received thanks from the sister of the seafarer by e-mail: "Many thanks to you and your organization for the assistance provided. It is very pleasing that there are such organizations that are not indifferent to the misfortune of ordinary people. Thank you again! "