Maritime News

Posted on December 26, 2012

International negotiations

A great number of seafarers around the world working aboard Norwegian controlled and owned vessels are covered by several International Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs). The Norwegian Maritime Officers’ Association (NMOA), together with the other Norwegian Maritime Unions, support various international seafarers unions negotiations of the CBAs in order to secure decent wages and working conditions for all seafarers aboard Norwegian ships.

The international CBAs negotiated every one or two years. So far this autumn the Norwegian Unions have completed the revisions of the agreements for seafarers from Russia, Croatia, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, India, China, and Philippines. Negotiations with the three Baltic countries are due in January.

The general wage increase is 2 percent, says senior negotiator Bernhard Lie-Nielsen to News in Brief.

The parties also discussed which articles in the agreements that has to be changed in order to be in compliance with the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006. The parties agreed to await developments on this issue and aims to complete the discussion during second year revision.

Seafarers’ Trust announces plans for coming year

The ITF Seafarers’ Trust recently announced its plans for the coming year, including a review of its operations, the provision of £1 million in grants, and ongoing provision for seafarers suffering from piracy. The following new grant was agreed by the trustees of the Seafarers’ Trust, the charm of the ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation): £278,000 for 16 small grant applications, mainly for vehicles and equipment for port based welfare.

The £1 million grant allocation for 2013 is in addition to ongoing grants to bodies such as Seafarers’ Rights International. The Seafarers’ Trust has donated nearly £11 million in the last two years to many different causes for seafarers’ welfare.

The ITF Seafarers’ Trust was established by the ITF in 1981 as a body with charitable status under the UK law. It is dedicated to the spiritual, moral and physical welfare of seafarers, irrespective of nationality, race or creed. Its funding comes from the investment income of the ITF welfare fund, which is used to provide trade union services to seafarers. The Seafarers’ Trust, on the other hand, is tasked with supporting projects which directly benefit individual seafarers’ spiritual, moral and physical welfare.