Japanese shipowner forbade seafarers to contact with trade unions

Today, the FETO SUR Inspectors visited the m/v Hermes Hope berthed at the Vostochny seaport for coal loading.

The vessel “Hermes Hope” is a Panama flagged bulk carrier, IMO 9594078, DWT 24228 tons, 2011-built. The  registered owner is Himawari Shipping/Hakat from Japan, the operator and beneficial shipowner responsible for paying wages and signing  individual seafarers' contracts is  Tokyo-based Japan Ship Management Co Ltd. The crew consists of 19 Indonesian seafarers.

– The captain of the vessel said that the Japanese company forbade them to  contact with representatives of the ITF and did not recommend to show any documents related to the labor activity of seafarers on board the vessel, –  FETO SUR Chairman Nikolay Sukhanov told. 

– Despite this, the captain told the Inspectors that the whole crew were hired through the Jakarta-based crewing agency. The seafarers gathered in the mess-room heard for the first time about the International Transport Workers' Federation and about the peculiarities of work on ships under flags of convenience. Seafarers were very interested in information about the rights of seafarers working on FOC ships. We told them that the ITF was seeking to get the owners of FOC ships to meet the requirements concerning minimum wages and conditions of employment. The aim of the ITF campaign against flags of convenience is to struggle against substandard shipping that does not meet the ITF- approved rules and  standards, to protect and improve the conditions of employment of seafarers and to ensure that all seafarers regardless of skin colour, nationality, gender, race or creed are protected from exploitation by the employer and those who are  acting on their behalf. 

The FETO SUR Inspectors have found out that the salary for the AB Seaman is USD1121, though it should not be less than USD1800. The captain's salary is USD6,700. The insurance amount must be at least USD110,000, but  the crew do not even know about it. The  Union representatives explained to the crew about the need to have an ITF collective agreement on board the ship which guards the rights of seafarers working on FOC vessels. 

The Indonesian seafarers working on board the Panamanian-flagged vessel owned by the Japanese shipowner  are in fact working under the laws of the shipowner as the vessel is not covered with the ITF collective agreement.

The crew learned that it is a characteristic feature of flag of convenience countries that they do not regulate the important issues of recruitment and do not have any reliable system of control. In the  absence of state control and industry-related government mechanisms which would associate  negotiating processes and employment on the FOC vessels, the only opposing force capable to  protect seafarers' interests is the International Transport Workers' Federation.

– In addition to this information we provided the crew, we gave the crew books in English on the rights of seafarers working on FOC vessels  and magazines Maritime Union’ Herald. The seafarers asked us to send a notice to the Japanese shipowner and request to sign  an ITF collective agreement with All Japan Seamen' Union,” Nikolay Sukhanov said. 

– While on board, we contacted by phone Fusao Ohori, the ITF Coordinator in Japan, who informed us that  All Japan Seamen' Union was currently in negotiations with the Japanese shipowner Hermes Hope, and the notice would push for the signing of the ITF agreement.