September 2011 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 03


Agreement will safeguard IoM flag standards


Tripartite deal paves the way for Isle of Man adoption of the ‘bill of rights’


NAUTILUS AT WORK shortreports


TONNAGE JOBS: barely one-quarter of the seafarers serving on ships in the UK tonnage tax scheme are UK nationals, shipping minister Mike Penning revealed last month. Questioned in the House of Commons, Mr Penning said the 27% of the 18,600 officers and ratings on ships in the scheme are UK nationals, with one-third of the officers being British. ‘Shipping is a global competitive industry and UK seafarer employment levels are influenced by factors other than the tonnage tax,’ he told MPs.


RIGHT SITE:the TUC has launched a new website to help part-time workers and those on fixed term contracts find out more about their basic rights at work in the UK. Basic Rights@Work provides information about issues such as the National Minimum Wage, working time and annual leave entitlements, and offers advice on how to enforce these rights through statutory bodies. The site can be accessed through visiting www.nautilusint.org and clicking on the TUC link.


PAY PRESSURE:high UK inflation rates mean that many pay packets are falling behind the cost of living, according to a survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development. It found that almost three in five employees have received a pay freeze since January 2011, while around one in 20 have had their base pay cut and only one in four have received a pay rise. Among those who have received a pay increase so far this year, the median is 3%.


CADET PROBE: shipping minister Mike Penning has told MPs that the UK Department for Transport has no jurisdiction to launch a separate formal investigation into the death of South African cadet Akhona Geveza onboard the British-registered containership Safmarine Kariba last year. He said an investigation into the incident had been undertaken by Croatian authorities, as the cadet’s body had been found in that country’s waters.


RAINBOW GIFT: the environmental protest group Greenpeace has presented its campaign vessel Rainbow Warrior II to a Bangladesh-based organisation which will refit it for use as a hospital ship delivering medical care to the coastal belt of Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. Construction of the new Rainbow Warrior, the third to bear the name, is nearly complete and the vessel will join the Greenpeace fleet in October.


Pictured above following the signing of the declaration of principles for Manx-flagged ships are, left to right: John Tilley, of the RMT; Dick Welsh, registry director; Ronnie Cunningham, from Nautilus; and Tom Graves, from the shipowners’ association


U


Nautilus has welcomed a new agreement with the Isle of Man authori-


ties that aims to improve the liv- ing and working conditions of seafarers serving on Manx- flagged ships. Following a series of meetings


between maritime unions, gov- ernment officials and the Isle of Man Shipping Association a dec- laration of principles governing social standards on Manx-regis- tered vessels was signed last month.


The new agreement updates


the original declaration, first signed in 2003, and reflects important changes since then — including new international reg- ulations on shipboard conditions. It recognises the importance


of the ILO Maritime Labour Con- vention 2006 and is likely to help pave the way for the adoption of the ‘bill of rights for seafarers’ by the Isle of Man. Nautilus senior national secre- tary Ronnie Cunningham said he was delighted to have signed the declaration on behalf of the Union. ‘This cements the very positive relationship that we have with the IoM administration and the owners using the register and


UK needs to get moving on MLC, Union warns


AThe Isle of Man’s move to embrace the measures set


out in the international Maritime Labour Convention needs to be followed by the UK as soon as possible, says Nautilus. General secretary Mark


Dickinson said he was pleased that the IoM had made such a visible and tangible statement of support for decent conditions in its fleet. ‘In contrast, in the UK we are


still waiting for the outcome of the unnecessary impact assessments and cost-benefit analysis of the


is a solid sign of commitment to the MLC,’ he added. ‘The agreement owes much to


the tripartite forum that brings us together with owners and the government on a regular basis and which enhances our ability to influence major decisions on behalf of seafarers,’ Mr Cunning- ham said. Dick Welsh, director of the Isle of Man Ship Registry, added: ‘The


measures needed to secure MLC ratification,’ he pointed out. ‘This is utterly appalling given that all sides of the UK shipping industry are united in their support for the MLC,’ he added. ‘If the UK does not ratify the


convention in the first wave, it runs the risk of causing serious damage to the red ensign,’ he warned. ‘But how it will be done with the under- funded and under-staffed Maritime & Coastguard Agency facing even more cutbacks to its resources is anyone’s guess.’


tripartite relationship, which has been developed over many years in the Isle of Man, is invaluable in our work on the new convention. It is a forum by which we can con- sult on draft policies and regula- tions, which gives the shipowners and the unions a real chance to shape the future for seafarers.’ Alan Bell, minister for eco- nomic development, com- mented: ‘I am delighted that we


have been able to sign this decla- ration. The tripartite relationship is important to the Isle of Man and as the shipping register con- tinues to grow, it is vital that we remain focused on the rights of its seafarers.’ The updated declaration of


principles stresses the impor- tance of measures to combat the abuse of seafarers’ rights — ‘including violations of freedom of association and the right to organise and collective bargain- ing, which undermine decent liv- ing and working conditions for seafarers’.


It pledges the IoM’s support for enforcement of decent living and working conditions on all ships flying its flag, wherever they may be, as well as mechanisms to monitor conditions on vessels visiting Manx ports.


As part of the agreement, the registry says it will provide ‘easy access to simple and inexpensive procedures enabling all seafarers, regardless of nationality and domicile, to make complaints alleging a breach of national leg- islation on living and working conditions or employment con- tracts and/or articles of agree- ment’.


SOCIETY SUED:the family of a 14-year-old boy who died after falling 30ft from the training ship Royalist last May are taking legal action against the Marine Society & Sea Cadets. The boy’s father, Andy Martin, said he hoped the case would highlight discrepancies in health and safety regulations and lead to changes in the law.


BOX BOOM: the trend towards bigger boxships will mean that more than half the world containership fleet will be 5,100TEU capacity and above by 2014, a new report has predicted. The number of ships over 10,000TEU will rise to 17% of the fleet over the same period, says the study by the consultancy firm Alphaliner.


MAERSK TOP: Maersk Line has regained its position at the top of the league table for reliability. A study published by the Drewry consultancy last month showed Maersk to have the best record among the world’s top-20 shipping lines for vessels arriving on schedule, with APL in second place and CSAV in third.


OFFICERS ARRESTED:two seafarers from an Italian ro-ro ferry were arrested last month after two fishermen died when their ship collided with a trawler off Naples. The helmsman and third officer from the 22,945gt Jolly Grigio were questioned on suspicion of homicide and shipwreck through negligence.


FATIGUE FAULTED:accident investigators have blamed fatigue for an incident in which the general cargoship Kongsvaag missed a planned course change and ran aground off the Norwegian coast last month.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39