The international Transport Workers( ITF) and its union affiliates have launched a “maritime action week today in seven countries across South East Asia”. The campaign runs from 10 to 14 November and takes in Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. It involves teams of ITF activists and representatives of seafarers’ and dockers’ trade unions.
The ITF says the week of action “will have a particular focus in pursuing those suspected of the abuse of Burmese workers who don’t have the protection of a union, following on from the ITF’s shocking evidence of murder and slavelike conditions among exiled Burmese seafarers, especially in the fishing industry....”.
ITF Maritime Coordinator Steve Cotton said: “Joint teams are on their way today in ports across South East Asia. As well as the normal search for vessels whose crews are not receiving the protection and pay they are entitled to, we will be doing everything we can to fight the filthy and scandalous abuses of Burmese workers who have had no option but to flee starvation or political repression at home and seek work elsewhere.”
The ITF also says: “For reasons connected with its refusal to negotiate on putting ITF agreements in place on its ships particular attention will also be paid to vessels belonging to Malaysian International Shipping Corp (MISC).”
Meanwhile ITF action that began during the recent Baltic Sea week of action has led to a crew receiving over US$99,000. During the week a Finnish inspection team visited the Hong Kong-flagged bulker at Idefix at Kokkola and claimed to have found that the 24 crew members had no sort of collective bargaining agreement whatsoever. Management of the apparently Danish owned or chartered vessel was delegated to Cosco Wallem in Hong Kong. The manager admitted that there was no CBA but they said they would sign one with Hong Kong unions. The FSU, after consulting with unions in Hong Kong, that this was not acceptable and imposed boycott of the vessel to pressure the company into an ITF standard collective agreement and to pay the crew’s claimed outstanding wages of $99,289.
The ITF says the week of action “will have a particular focus in pursuing those suspected of the abuse of Burmese workers who don’t have the protection of a union, following on from the ITF’s shocking evidence of murder and slavelike conditions among exiled Burmese seafarers, especially in the fishing industry....”.
ITF Maritime Coordinator Steve Cotton said: “Joint teams are on their way today in ports across South East Asia. As well as the normal search for vessels whose crews are not receiving the protection and pay they are entitled to, we will be doing everything we can to fight the filthy and scandalous abuses of Burmese workers who have had no option but to flee starvation or political repression at home and seek work elsewhere.”
The ITF also says: “For reasons connected with its refusal to negotiate on putting ITF agreements in place on its ships particular attention will also be paid to vessels belonging to Malaysian International Shipping Corp (MISC).”
Meanwhile ITF action that began during the recent Baltic Sea week of action has led to a crew receiving over US$99,000. During the week a Finnish inspection team visited the Hong Kong-flagged bulker at Idefix at Kokkola and claimed to have found that the 24 crew members had no sort of collective bargaining agreement whatsoever. Management of the apparently Danish owned or chartered vessel was delegated to Cosco Wallem in Hong Kong. The manager admitted that there was no CBA but they said they would sign one with Hong Kong unions. The FSU, after consulting with unions in Hong Kong, that this was not acceptable and imposed boycott of the vessel to pressure the company into an ITF standard collective agreement and to pay the crew’s claimed outstanding wages of $99,289.