SUR has defended the interests of Chinese seafarers

Today, Inspectors from the Far Eastern Regional Organization of the Seafarers' Union of Russia inspected MV J Bene at the port of Nakhodka. The vessel flies the Panamanian flag, but its registered owner is a Chinese company Jinghang Shipping Dalian Co, and is actually managed by the Singaporean Grand Prosperity Shipping Pte. During the inspection, it has been found out that the shipowner uses the Panama flag of convenience to minimize taxes and reduce crew costs. Thus, there are 17 Chinese seafarers on board, the salary for an AB Seaman is $1,200 per month, and that of a captain is $6,500.

— When we examined the documents, it became clear that the shipowner is saving on seafarers. Chinese seafarers' salaries should be much more. Maritime trade unions have established uniform minimum wage requirements for seafarers working under a flag of convenience. According to these standards, AB Seaman should receive at least USD1,836, and the insured amount in case of seafarers' death should be at least USD110,000,  — Nikolay Sukhanov, SUR FERO Chairman said.

He added that for shipowners in countries with high taxes, transferring ships under a flag of convenience is a kind of tax haven. According to him, the problem is aggravated by the fact that almost all such vessels do not have collective bargaining agreements with trade unions. This issue was discussed at the Summit of Asia-Pacific region maritime trade unions' leaders in New Delhi. At the summit, the SUR delegation proposed to their Chinese colleagues to jointly press for the compliance with minimum guarantees for seafarers from shipowners. In particular, to recommend Chinese companies using convenient flags to sign collective bargaining agreements, at least on the terms of basic wages.

— In Nakhodka, more than 80% of vessels flying such flags are manned by Chinese crews, but none of them have collective bargaining agreements with maritime trade unions, — Sukhanov outlined.

During the meeting, the Inspectors informed the seafarers about the agreement between the trade unions of Russia and China on the joint fight against violations of crew rights on ships flying flags of convenience. Therefore, the shipowner was immediately sent an official demand on the need to conclude a collective bargaining agreement. The company responded promptly. In an official response, a representative of Grand Prosperity Shipping Pte said: “We will immediately start negotiations on concluding a collective bargaining agreement at the next port of call to ensure a compliance with international standards. The captain is authorized to sign an agreement approved by the Chinese seafarers' union.”

The SUR FERO noted that this is an obvious example of how international solidarity of trade unions helps protect the rights of seafarers. Now, the crew of J Bene will receive guaranteed social benefits and decent wages.