This year was pompously declared by IMO as a “Year of Seafarers” meaning the main care of world shipping leaders is the welfare of seamen. As a proof of this all-embracing care, we have Maritime Labour Convention, coming into force in two years, with implementation of this Convention seafarers will be as safe and secure as ever. Hardly so. Let’s look at ITF activities and try to foresee very near future. As far as I can understand, tha main prophets and watchdogs of this Convention are ITF and affiliated nation unions. I don’t know about other countries, but in Russia in Far Eastern ports port control already has a regulation, authorising them to demand from shipowners contract with ITF. Russian Seamen’s Union demands from Russian Government more, namely – prohibition of any foreign-flag recruiting for companies and seamen alike, if companies, either crewing or owners or managers, don’t have agreement with union.
If one gathers all the news and information with regards to ITF activities and coming Convention, one has nothing else but wonder, what they are up to, ITF and affiliated unions. I published in my Maritime Bulletin materials on two cases involving wage delays, one connected with ITF, another one with Russian Seamen Union. In both cases some of the crew were manipulated by union activists to claim against shipowner. Both cases were just that – frame-ups. I know, that there are many more such cases, but nobody nowhere published any material, revealing some methods of ITF and nation unions, trying to analyze their activities, their methods, their morals and their aims. Ok then, if no one else, let me do some analyzing. We’re up to, on the verge of, unbelievable situation, when global shipping will be laid at the mercy of unionists. Look where we’re steering at full ahead – with implementation of MLC, portcontrols will be authorised, if not required to, check and demand union agreements. That in fact means, agreement with ITF. Membership in unions, affiliated with ITF, is already compulsory, as anybody knows. Not many seafarers may afford themselves a luxury of rejecting membership, when working in a company which has an agreement with ITF. Thanks God, there are many companies still not covered by these agreements, but when MLC comes into force, looks like there won’t be many such companies left. Now, what will we get? Shipping roughly is a ship and a crew. One of those two components will be under total control of one organization, International Transport Federation. Isn’t it frightening? I think it is. But there’s much more to that.
Let’s look into bright coming future and try to figure out how it will work and to what results. For example, let’s say in one country there are two regional, local shipping companies, both working under agreement with ITF. Port control won’t let the ships of any company arrive and departure without such agreement. Let’s assume those two companies are rivals. One will have close ties with local unionists, or just find an approach to become close. All that company has to do to remove competitor or at least to damage him, is to ask local union to cancel agreement with company in question on the pretext of violating either agreement, or seamen’s rights, or both, just to make sure. And a company in question will have one hell of a problem. Who will tell me it’s impossible and inconceivable? I tell you who – leaders of global shipping, starting from IMO. All those who’s in shipping, not above, will agree, that the scheme is a very possible one.
But I think this is the least risk we may expect, there are much bigger threats. Let’s look at a wage level. And let’s look at countries, main sources of maritime labour force. I don’t know for sure about India or Philippines, but if we’re talking Russia, for many men from small towns or villages union’s “a must” wage level is a bit short of a fortune, they can’t even dream about such salaries back home. Point is, those deciding to go to sea, those for whom such wages are more than satisfactory, more often than not, are not and won’t be good reliable seamen, at least many of them. And why should they bother with their seamanship qualities if what they get is more than enough? They don’t have stimulus to grow up, to get better qualifications, master a good English and go in for higher wages and career in some first-class shipping companies, they’re more than satisfied with what they have. Such equality will endanger maritime shipping, especially local one.
Another aspect is local small and middle sized shipping companies. There is no secret in a plain fact, that they can’t afford wages required by ITF, simply can’t. They make agreement with union and pay what they can, which is substantionally less than required under agreement. Do you think union doesn’t know that? Union knows, but its’ ok with unionists as long as company pays her fee and seamen theirs. What is this, if not a profanity? And why nobody speaks about such practice, or writes, or at least mention? Whom do we fool, ourselves? Yes we do, and unions are more than happy with our idiocy, that suits them perfectly. If local owners, engaged in coastal shipping, would start paying required wages, many of them would bust, and that’s a danger to coastal areas and population, take for example Russia, where the whole of Russian Far East depends solely on supplies delivered by sea.
Ok, one may say, but let’s look at a bright side. At least seamen would be safe from such problems, as wage delays or abandonment. Hardly so. Let me again, give you some examples. Just to understand morals and methods of unionists. Last year there were some 100 Russian seamen in trouble, some abandoned in foreign ports by shipowners. Tens of thousands Russian citizen work at sea, in Merchant and Fishery fleets. They bring to Russia hundreds of millions dollars each year. Still, Russia as a state didn’t allocate funds to repatriate her own citizen from abroad, if they’re left with no means to return home. Russian embassies can’t even support seamen with food. Well, Russian Seamen’s Union once again raised the question of state help, but then came up with proposal to prohibit seamen employment on board of foreign-flag vessels, if owners don’t have agreement with Union, and seamen aren’t members of union. You see, unionists simply used the situation to their own benefit. Russia is not among most poor countries of the world. But Russia can’t find money to help several dozen hardworking seamen, whose only misfortune is a wrong citizenship. To demand something from Russia, from her premier-minister and the Co., is not an easy business, it’s even risky. But Russian authorities were happy, when Union came up with proposal of new restrictions. Russia is a well-known country for her corruption, and one more prohibitive law is just what Russian bureaucracy needs, it was a Christmas present to them. Everybody, at least in Russia, understands, that seamen will be working on foreign-flag vessels anyway, they’ll find ways, mostly illegal of course. Still, unionists will get what they’re after – more power. Now, whose interests defend unionists, if judge from the above?
And I’m absolutely sure, that when ITF and affiliated unions will come to full control via implementation of MLC, situation for seamen will only worsen, because unionists will decide, in what case to help crew, in what no, what make public and what to bury in oblivion. One more interesting fact about Russian Seamen Union new law proposal – there is one point in this law, demanding not just contract with trade union, but only with trade union affiliated with ITF, because “shipowners may create fake unions to avoid responsibility”.
There’s another example, on which we may figure out what’s waiting us in near future. Russian Seamen’s Union has an example for all Russian shipowners, example of a good respinsible and in all ways perfect shipowner, biggest Russian shipping company Sovkomflot. State-owned and kind of notorious after acquisition of Novoship, her biggest rival. Acquisition was in no way market one, everything was decided in high places in Moscow. Now Sovkomflot is after another rival and competitor, the only one still alive, Primorsk Shipping Co. My old friend who works in Prisco, wrote me, that Prisco has to sell new aframaxes to Sovkomflot, crews offered to go with ships to new owner. But Sovkomflot pays substantionally less than Prisco. And besides, my friend worked in Prisco all his life. So what do you think, is Union neutral in such kind of “competition”, or will back the strongest?
EuroCommission fights with monopolism, everybody fights for a free and fair competition, and people’s right to have a choice. Here we have total monopoly with absolutely no choice, either you’re a member of Union, or you’re out. It’s especially outrageous considering principles of trade unions: as far as I remember, union membership is voluntary, at least such was the idea, or now it’s different and seamen must be members of the union, and not any union, but one and only one? What’s looming ahead, is violation of any antimonopoly law or principle plus violation of basic human right, right to have a choice. And it looks like nobody cares. No criticism, no analysis, no Round Tables and conferences – nothing. Monopoly is a thing, which may kill any industry, any human activity. Most important component of global shipping, people, will be totally monopolized, and I have no doubts, monopolized for worse, not for better. ITF will have almost unlimited power to rule global shipping at their will. Well, I understand of course that there will be some limits, no one will let ITF seriously harm such sectors as shipment of crude, grain ore or container mainstreams, most victims of ITF will be small and middle sized local owners. But I have no doubt, ITF will be trying to get under control everything, till at last, shipping and states will lose patience and put ITF out. Before it happens, ITF will do a lot of harm, they already do, and the more we keep silence, the more harm we will get.
Voytenko Mikhail
January 26 2010
