The crew of the m/v Crystal Vladivostok was offered to join the trade union

Today representatives of the Far Eastern Territorial Organization of the Seafarers’ Union of Russia (FETO SUR) have visited the m/v Crystal Vladivostok (IMO 9251509, flag of Russia, 2022- built), berthed at Vostochny port under unloading containers from China. There were  all  documents required in accordance with the Maritime Labor Convention available on board. The Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance Part II were indicated  the name of the shipping company and the data of its representative, the Insurance Certificates were in place also, moreover, the crew members knew their exact insurance amount: according to their individual contracts, it was USD40,000, and USD4,000 for funeral services. 

The crew had no complaints about the payment of wages, an AB Seaman salary was about RUB90,000, and that of the captain was RUB180,000, though, the crew members described  the very form of the employment contract as obscure.

- According to the crew members  the form of the employment contract and payroll calculation should be simplified, - Nikolay Sukhanov, FETO SUR Chairman, said. - Currently, the payroll calculation is based on the minimum statutory monthly pay, to which various charges are added. In practice it means that having his contract at hand a crew member can't calculate the amount of his salary. 

The crew and the trade union believe that the document can be and should be simplified. “It is necessary to take the existing minimum basic wage  recommended by the International Labor Organization (ILO), today it is USD658 or about RUB50,000, as a base for wage calculating to which other charges should be added,” - Nikolay Sukhanov believes. "The individual contract of employment  itself should consist of one or two pages, not 15-20 pages of small text with excerpts from the legislation not needed to be rewritten in the contract. The best option is to have a collective agreement with the SUR on board and make a reference to it in the seafarer's contract.”

Also, FETO SUR Chairman  told the crew members that when concluding the Sectorial Tariff Agreement the trade union called on Russian shipowners to adhere to the ILO recommendations on minimum wages while signing contracts of employment with seafarers.

It should be noted that the operator and beneficial owner of the vessel is a Vladivostok-based Crystal Alliance Shipping. The crew consists of 14 Russian seafarers from Primorsky Region. Before leaving the vessel, the representatives of the trade union recommended the crew members who had not yet joined the SUR to do it and became a part of friendly family of the trade union. They also advised the crew to hold a meeting on board  and to offer  the shipowner to sign a collective agreement with the SUR, which would take into account all their comments and suggestions. The FETO SUR representatives gave the seafarers books and fresh magazines  "Maritime Unions Herald",  which tell about the activities of the trade union, and  invited them to come to the office of FETO SUR to apply for  SUR membership.