Strong ties urged between employers, seafarers

Promoting strong industrial relations between employers and seafarers would ensure greater stability and certainty over employment costs.

This was the common goal agreed upon in a forum among representatives of the shipowners’ associations of Japan, Korea and Singapore held recently in Singapore and organized by the Asian Seafarers Employers’ Group (ASEG), jointly with the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) and the Singapore Maritime Employers’ Federation (SMEF).

To achieve this objective, ASEG will promote mutually beneficial and healthy dialogue with seafarers’ unions, both local and international, with the aim of achieving acceptable living, working and employment conditions for seafarers.

The participants held a frank and constructive exchange of views to formalize the establishment of the ASEG. During the meeting, the ASEG confirmed its important role in providing a forum wherein Asian-based employers of seafarers can gather information on their personnel record, and discuss ways and means to alleviate their working condition.

ASEG shall keep chart of developments in local and international regulations of all matters relating to the employment of seafarers which it hopes would to translate into good employment practices and high standards of training and safety among saefarers.

At the same forum, the ASEG expressed its deep concern over the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF)’s decision of establishing a benchmark for minimum wage scale for Flag of Convenience (FOC) vessels.

The ASEG strongly supports the recommendation of some Asian seafarers’ unions to review such benchmark to reflect local and current living standards of Asian seafarers. The review could lead to a different approach in the ITF framework to allow for collective bargaining between employers and the local unions, it said in a statement.

The next meeting of the ASEG, whose prime objective is to harmonize the Asian seafarers employers, is scheduled to be held in Seoul, South Korea on March 17, 2003.