FETO SUR assisted seafarers to return more than $1million

The Far Eastern Territorial Organization of the Seafarers’ Union of Russia summed up the results of its work over the past year - the crews of 10 vessels and 12 seafarers separately turned to FETO SUR for help. The union helped them return more than $1 million in back wages and compensation for damages in case of accidents. Over the past period, FETO SUR Inspectors visited 45 vessels under Russian and foreign flags in the ports of Nakhodka and Vostochny. They held meetings with more than a thousand maritime workers and sent 32 notices to shipowners with the requirement to sign collective agreements.

Some of the inspections needed the union's intervention. So, 5 cargo vessels were detained due to serious violations of the rights of seafarers and the unsatisfactory technical condition in 2023 in Nakhodka. The troubled vessels were allowed to continue sailing only after fulfilling all the requirements of port state control and FETO SUR Inspectors. By the way, following the SUR inspections, three detained vessels concluded collective agreements with foreign shipowners, and the crews of the other three vessels with complaints about delays and non-payment of wages received their money. FETO SUR continued cooperation with the Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor's Office by signing an agreement on cooperation until 2026 in February 2023. The parties expressed interest in a constructive dialogue and highlighted the importance of applying all legal instruments to improve the efficiency of the prosecutor's supervision and public control over compliance with labor laws and international conventions regarding seafarers.

The Summit of Asia-Pacific region maritime trade unions' leaders was held in Tokyo from April 11 to 15, 2023. 80 delegates from 15 Asia-Pacific countries took part in it, including the delegation of the Seafarers’ Union of Russia. This forum was held for the first time after a three-year break because of COVID-19 restrictions; its main discussions were focused on the situation seafarers all around the world were facing during Covid-19 pandemic. The consequences of the pandemic have not yet been fully overcome. Another topic raised at the Summit was promising ways to develop transport infrastructure. The transition to automation of the maritime industry is in full swing, autonomous vessels are being built, which in the future will operate without crews, which means that the question of who will maintain the ultra-modern infrastructure will soon arise. Today, seafarers need to advance their skills.

After almost three months of negotiations, FETO SUR and Stolt Tankers B.V. signed a collective bargaining agreement for 2024. This Norwegian shipping company operates the world's largest fleet of chemical tankers, which consists of 163 vessels, including more than 70 units of a specialized fleet. Seafarers' Union of Russia and Stolt Tankers B.V. have been social partners for over 25 years. Year after year, the partners commit their course towards providing Russian seafarers – the SUR members - with decent social guarantees. About 500 seafarers from Far Eastern Region are employed for work on board Stolt Tankers B.V. fleet.

“The only real guarantee of protection seafarers' legitimate rights and interests is the collective agreement on board - signed with the national trade union in case of flags of convenience vessels and with SUR for Russian-flagged vessels,” - FETO SUR Chairman Nikolay Sukhanov concluded.