Reliable protection during a voyage

The  Seafarers' Union of Russia reminds:  it is only a collective agreement available on board that  secures transparent working conditions for  crew members, establishes a decent level of remuneration, insurance coverage in case of disability or death, and also guarantees the protection and support of maritime trade unions and Inspectors of the International Transport Workers Federation around the world . A former crew member of one of the MSC  container ships has learned  this from his  own bitter experience.

The Seafarers' Union of Russia helped the Chief Engineer to sign off from  the vessel and receive his salary.

The seafarer sent the company a request for repatriation, in accordance with clause 19.3 of the IBF agreement  the shipowner had to sign him off  within 30 days. But a month later, the seafarer was still on board and had no information about the company's intentions concerning his repatriation. Then the Chief Engineer turned to the SUR, which, in turn, contacted colleagues from the Italian FIT CISL and the shipowner – the signatories of the collective agreement.

During the negotiations, the parties came to a decision to repatriate the seafarer from the Dominican Republic.

Back at home, the Chief Engineer contacted the union, this time to thank the Inspectors who promptly assisted him to address the issues with signing off  from the vessel and getting wages. 

Photo from vesselfinder.com