Mr. S. R. Kulkarni, Chairman, Dockers Section, Asia / Pacific Region, International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), London, has declared that the week-long Flag of Convenience (FoC) campaign against sub-standard ships and poor service conditions of the sailors, launched on Oct. 8 in South-Asia, concluded on a high note on Oct. 12.He told newsmen that the joint campaign by ITF affiliated unions in India viz. Transport and Dock Workers’ Union, Mumbai, National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI), Maritime Union of India (MUI), Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI) and NSICT BKS witnessed vigorous inspections on 43 mercantile ships at various Indian maritime ports resulting in 12 ITF acceptable standard agreements by the Indian ITF Inspectors.
Mr. Kulkarni traced a few success stories of ITF affiliated unions in India, jointly.
At Mumbai Port, the prime success came when action on Panama flagged M.T. Golden Crest owned in Japan, chartered by a Korean Company with Myanmar and Korean mixed crew on board, was covered by an ITF agreement. Agreement negotiations for another vessel M. T. Golden Dominance, also of the same company, were initiated.
A major success was achieved on Greek owned vessel “M.V. PORTO MANIA” by realizing cash payment of unpaid wages totalling a whopping 1,08,000 USD for the Indonesian and Filippino crew on board. The drive culminated with the conclusion of ITF TCC Agreement for the said vessel and quick repatriation of 8 stranded crew men back home. Another Iranian vessel “M.V. ATTAR” was detained by Port State Control for redressing the deficiencies complained by the crew.
For the first time ITF inspection teams were allowed inspection of vessels at the JNPT Port including the private terminals of APMT (GTI) and NSICT DP World. Four vessels were inspected including “M.V. T.S. Jakarta, which resisted access to ITF FoC Campaign Team on board.
In Kandla sustained pressure on Liberian flagged vessel Ras Ghumays-1 resulted in UAE owners to sign up for the fleet of seven vessels with the ITF union in Philippines. On another Belize flagged FoC vessel Arwad Queen, the Lebanese owners have agreed to cover their vessel with an agreement. Meanwhile, the dockers union throughout the week worked hard to help the 22 Syrian crew members on board m.v. Oriental Queen-VI. The owners of the Syrian flagged vessel had not paid crew wages to the tune of USD 277,000 with the ship in darkness due to non-replacement of diesel for power generation. The ship, as a result, has suffered dead communications.
In Visakhapatnam, the ITF Union team succeeded in getting the Japanese owner of Panama flagged m.v. Sammy to sign an ITF acceptable wage agreement for the Filipino crew on board. The inspection team also found the Bangladeshi owned, Panama flagged Fatahur Rahman to be a substandard ship and alerted the Port State Control to detain the vessel from moving out of the port.
In Tuticorin, hectic negotiations gained momentum for ITF acceptable agreement on the Marshal Islands registered, Greek company owned ‘Sky Globe’.
In New Mangalore as vessel traffic is low, the unions look forward to step up action in the second edition of FoC due in December.
Mr. Kulkarni attributed the success achieved by the joint campaign of the ITF affiliated unions to the untiring efforts of Mr. Kersi Parekh, ITF Inspector in Mumbai, and other ITF Inspectors of the Indian Peninsula. He also recalled the dedicated work put in by Mr. Sangam Tripathy, Assistant Regional Secretary, ITF Asia / Pacific Region, and his associate Jasvinder Singh in coordinating and in maintaining timely communication between the ship owners and charterers scattered around the world.
He had a special word of praise for Mr. Abdulgani Serang, General Secretary-cum-Treasurer of National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) and its members, besides acknowledging the negotiation skill of Mr. P.K. Raman, Secretary of Transport & Dock Workers’ Union, Mumbai, in times of crisis and the effective cooperation and logistics ensured by Mr. R.M. Murthy.
Winding up the campaign, Mr. Kulkarni appealed to Union Minister of Shipping G.K. Vasan to take the initiative to redress the emerged facts pointing to the dipping maritime standards in respect of vessels plying and the service conditions of seafarers who are silently suffering. He urged the Minister to treat the facts as a wake up call for effective monitoring and enforcement and mercantile laws with the institution of marine labour audit for the vessels plying in Indian waters.
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