The shipowner changed the attitude to the seafarers

The Japanese company Cosmo Sealand Co Ltd has increased the wage of the crewmembers from the m/v Crystal Jade (flag of Panama, IMO 9680891) and continues to work with the union to sign the ITF collective agreement. This was achieved thanks to the actions of the Far Eastern territorial organization of the Seafarers Union of Russia and the ITF coordinator in Japan, Fusao Ohori.

Nikolay Sukhanov, Chairman of the Far Eastern Territorial organization of the SUR, said that union’s representatives visited the vessel for the third time since 2018.

«We were pleasantly surprised by the changes that have taken place in the company. First of all, the crew, consist of 19 Indonesians, welcomed us very cordially, unlike from the two previous visits»,- said N. Sukhanov.

Nikolay Sukhanov recalled that earlier the captain refused to cooperate with the union due to the fact that the management of Cosmo Sealand Co Ltd forbade contact with representatives of trade unions. The reason was that the vessel Crystal Jade was covered by the collective agreement signed with the Seafarers Union of Indonesia, which is not an affiliated member of the ITF. It would seem that this is such a big deal, but in reality, according to the seafarers, they received ridiculous salaries.

«We have sent notices of warning to the shipowner several times since 2018 with a proposal to start negotiations and sign an ITF agreement in order to guarantee the crew decent working conditions. But recently we managed to achieve changes in terms with the signing the collective agreement- our colleague Fusao Ohori finally entered into negotiations with the company. We learned from the seafarers that Cosmo Sealand Co Ltd has already increased wages and generally improved working conditions on board. The collective agreement has not yet been signed but the Japanese trade Union and the shipowner are working in this direction», - mentioned Nikolay Sukhanov.

It remains to add that the crewmembers expressed great gratitude to the FETO SUR for their perseverance over the past few years, which, in their opinion, was an impetus for the employer to change working conditions for the better.

«In confirmation, the captain showed the seafarers contacts of employment where the salary of AB is $1171, the captain - $6800. Meals on the ship are arranged for $9 per day per person. The lives of the crewmembers are insured for $89 thousand. In addition, we have inspected the residential and office premises – changes for the better are evident. It's great that the attitude of the shipowner to the sailors has changed so dramatically», - added Nikolay Sukhanov.