Collective agreement will help in an unforeseen situation

The Seafarers’ Union of Russia assisted  the crew member of m/v Twin Castor to receive his back pay.

The m/v Twin Castor,  a former m/v Svet, was taken over by a new owner and manager because of sanctions. The seafarer has worked on board this tanker for 10 days only, it was due to the handover of the vessel. The seafarer completed his work on board and signed off from the vessel  in May. In July he turned to the SUR as the new owner had not payed him the salary.

Since there is an International Transport Workers' Federation-approved  collective bargaining agreement on board the vessel, the Union contacted the ITF head office in London and explained the situation the Russian seafarer had faced. A bit later  it turned out there was a misunderstanding related to the documentation, which, by the way, had nothing to do with the transfer of funds from abroad to a Russian bank.

When the situation became clear the seafarer received the entire amount owed to him. The money were transferred to the seafarer's account at Raiffeisenbank.  The whole process took three days.

The SUR reminds: the ITF collective bargaining agreement is a reliable protection not only during the voyage but also on the shore. This, among other things, is evidenced by the successful outcome of unforeseen situations seafarers face after signing off from the vessel.