Blitz nets crew $160,000

SYDNEY, November 11: The International Transport Workers’ Federation week of action got off with a splash in Darling Harbour, Sydney on November 11, with the dramatised dunking of a foreign ship owner guilty of crew abuse.

ITF Australia Co-ordinator Dean Summers and his crew charged Captain Yuri Rippemovolot (aka Sean Chaffer) with a litany of crimes against seafarers and the environment before forcing him to ‘walk the plank’ while lunchtime shoppers and CBD workers looked on.

Then it was down to serious business as the nationwide ITF blitz on foreign ships trading in Australian waters got underway. ITF inspectors swooped on 85 vessels in ports around Australia with authorisation to examine wage books and crew conditions.

By the end of the week the ITF had won $260,000 in back pay for cheated seafarers plus wage rises for up to 1,000 underpaid crew members.

The week of surprise raids exposed flag of convenience ships paying able seamen as little as $200 a week and $1 per hour for overtime.

“We’ve had an enormous success,” said Dean Summers. “One measure of that is reports that ships were diverted from Australian ports to avoid scrutiny and frustrate ITF inspections.”

ACTU Secretary Greg Combet said the use of flag of convenience ships using low-wage foreign crews is increasing in Australia as the Federal Government issues more special voyage permits to foreign vessels.

“The Federal Government’s support for sub-standard flag of convenience ships is costing Australian jobs and undermining Australian wages, conditions, safety and environment standards,” Mr Combet said.

The week of raids uncovered five ships where crew were signed up with ITF agreements but shortchanged, and another 12 vessels where seafarers were paid sub-standard wages. In some cases seafarers had no guarantee of leave, compensation in case of injury or limits on hours.

“All these seafarers are now protected with ITF collective agreements,” Mr Summers said.

“Salaries have been doubled for crew on the Singaporean vessel Safrana D-Urville, where able seamen were earning $200 a week plus 25 hours overtime at $1/hour. These seafarers are also for the first time now guaranteed compensation in case of death or injury.”

The two major pay settlements from the flag of convenience ships in various ports were:

Melbourne: Da Zhong (Panama flag) - $180,000;

Fremantle – Port Star (Panama) - $66,000.

In the lead up to the week long blitz delegates and inspectors from PNG, NZ and Australia met in the MUA union rooms in Sydney for briefings and training.

The week of action follows Australian ITF participation in the Asian week of action with Ross Storer based in the Philippines, Matt Purcell in Indonesia and Kathy Whelan, ITF NZ, in Thailand.

“Over this week I experienced the worst ravages of flag of convenience shipping,” said Whelan. “I have been on board the worst sub-standard ships, witnessed social and living conditions of third world seafarers that defy human decency. Safety standards are almost non-existent and the value of human life to a shipowner is of little if any consideration in his enterprise.”

In the Philippines Ross Storer was impressed by the comradeship and enthusiasm shown between seafarers, dock workers and associated labour unions: “I was also impressed by one of the activists, seafarer Miguel Jolon who has been black listed by the manning agents. His understanding of the FOC campaign, his eagerness to assist during the vessel inspections and his ability to communicate with seafarers would make him an excellent backup.”

In Indonesia Matt Purcell witnessed the historical passing of government legislation giving Indonesian seafarers 50 per cent of jobs on Indonesian flagged vessels. He also took part in a successful ITF campaign in the port of Merak: “An Indonesian bosun had gone missing from the HD Saturn in Italy and the owners were smothering,” said Purcell. “Upon arrival in Merak on October 7 we found the master and the owners representative bailed up in the local police station with an angry but peaceful union demonstration outside. We were given access to the station and obtained the vessel’s papers with the DPI achieving arrest of the vessel.”