Don’t be afraid to seek help

To be a member of a trade union means not just to remit some percent from you salary to an organization,   it is an assistance in unforeseen and unpredictable situations  either. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon when seafarers think about a trade union when an unpleasant incident has already happened. Also there are cases when it’s too late to to ask for help because a fatal tragedy has happened as a result of disregard to a seafarer’s complaints on board.   

Last month a crew member of a Malta-flagged bulker died on board. According to his relatives, the seafarer died because of his immediate executives negligence: nobody from his superior crew members paid attention to his complaints about feeling sick.   

-The crew was working in the Arabian  Gulf: they were lifting weights  in the terrible heat all day long, - a sister of the seafarer told. - My brother complained the Chief Officer of feeling unwell, but neither he nor the Captain took any measures. We don’t know how was the night, but  next morning he was carrying heavy pipes again. They On the ship they were convinced that the seafarer was really ill only when he lost consciousness. An hour later the guy died.

-If his complaints had been paid attention and he had been  allowed to move from the heat to a cooler place this terrible tragedy might not have happened, – the sister  believed.   

The SUR highlights: there is an established procedure   in case your immediate superiors do not respond properly to complaints. Thus,  on board each vessel the information with the contacts of the representative of the employer to whom crew members can apply for assistance should be placed at a visible location. If the company does not respond to appeals, then  you should contact the flag state, the relevant contacts should also be placed on board. In addition, it would be helpful get in touch with your national trade union immediately and outline the issue.

The other SUR member caught in a rather similar situation as the dead seafarer, followed the above  mentioned procedure. A Russian asked to sign him off from the vessel ahead of schedule  because he was not satisfied with the working and living conditions on board as they did not comply with the MLC.  According to him, the air temperature in the cabins reached +37C , and the air conditioning system on board the vessel could not cope with the heat.

Upon the request from the SUR, the Italian Seafarers Union contacted the shipowner, after which an inspection of working conditions was organized. An independent commission found out that in some cabins the temperature reached +40C. According to the results of the appeal to the SUR, the Russian seafarer was repatriated before the completion of the contract of employment at the expense of the company. As well a list of troubleshooting works in the air conditioning system was compiled.

SUR urges crew members to think of their own safety at first and do not take actions that may health or life threatening - don’t be afraid to seek help.