The collective agreement played a crucial role in resolving the problem with the discharging

Thanks to the joint actions of the Russian and Italian seafarer’s trade unions, a discharging was organized for the motorman from the m/v MSC Santhya a few days before the end of the contract. Since today some seafarers cannot return home even after the completion of employment contracts, this event deserves special attention. 

A few days ago, a Russian seafarer from MSC Santhya contacted the SUR and asked for help with repatriation. He said that his contract is about to complete but the company refuses to sign him off, offering to go to Africa, which could take about another 1.5 months. At the time of the request for help, the vessel was heading for St. Petersburg, and there was only a week left before the expiration of the seafarer's contract. 

SUR promptly contacted colleagues from the Italian union FIT CISL, as the vessel was covered by its collective agreement, and asked them to help the Russian seafarer. As a result of the negotiations, the shipping company agreed on the repatriation from St. Petersburg.

It’s absolutely clear that a collective agreement on board of MSC Santhya played a crucial role in resolving the problem.