The collective agreement on board of m/v Atayal Ace does not protect, but infringes on the rights of seafarers to a decent salary

Inspectors of the Far Eastern Territorial Organization of the Seafarers Union of Russia visited the vessel Atayal Ace (flag of Panama, IMO 9643611) in the port of Vostochny. The vessel is covered by the collective agreement concluded by the Taiwanese Seafarers Union and Wisdom Marine INTL INC, but the document does not meet the ITF requirements. As the chairman of the FETO SUR Nikolay Sukhanov notes, as a rule, in practice such collective agreements do not protect crewmembers, but on the contrary – infringe on seafarers.

«There are Vietnamese on board of Atayal Ace. The salary of an AB is $1126, the captain’s wage is $ 5206. Meals are organized for $7.5 per day per person. The registered owner of the vessel is Atayal Marine SA from Taiwan, and the operator is Wisdom Marine INTL INC. The second, by the way, signed a Declaration of Compliance with the requirements of the Maritime Labor Convention Part II and is financially responsible to the crew»,- Nikolay Sukhanov continues.

In the dining room, where almost all the sailors gathered, the inspectors of the FETO SUR told the crew of Atayal Ace what was wrong with the collective agreement. In fact the Taiwanese shipowner raised the flag of Panama and recruited Vietnamese for work, but signed a national agreement designed for a ship under the national flag of Taiwan with Taiwanese sailors on board. Such a collective agreement will be valid only when the company changes the convenient flag of Panama to the national flag of Taiwan and recruits a local crew, - N. Sukhanov explains.

In his opinion, the goal of Wisdom Marine INTL INC is to reduce financial costs by reducing the income of seafarers, as well as the deterioration of living conditions on the ship.

«A convenient flag helps to evade responsibility», – he states. As for the working conditions under the collective agreement approved by the ITF, the salary of an AB, for example, should not be less than $1800, and insurance in case of death of a sailor – less than $ 110 000.

«The ITF has been actively fighting shipowners for who, using the system of flags of convenience, violate the federation's policy. Its main idea is to regulate shipping, that is, to establish a genuine link between the flag state and the country of the fleet owner», - explains Nikolay Sukhanov. Vietnamese seafarers took an active part in the action to combat flags of convenience on the stern of the Atayal Ace and asked representatives of the FETO SUR to send a notice to the employer about the conclusion of an ITF collective agreement.

«We also invited the crew to visit the Nakhodka International Seafarers Centre in their free time», – added the chairman of the FETO SUR.