COMMENT
Do you see slavery? R
ecently I was encouraged to take part in a webinar about modern day slavery. During its presentation I learned that the International Labor Organization (and yes that is the correct spelling), estimates that currently over 21 million people are victims of modern-day slavery and that the practice still exists today in over 130 countries.
Going about your everyday job you probably see people who are in slavery on a regular basis. They don’t have shackles, they might appear ordinary, but look closer and you might spot more worrying traits.
The webinar presenters explained the many different types of slavery which included the manipulation, coercion, or control of children and adults engaging in commercial sex acts and the recruitment of child soldiers. Both are abhorrent to me and, I would suggest, to most people but I began to feel a little uncomfortable when the presenters began talking about bonded labour, domestic servitude, and debt bondage.
Being more explicit, the presenters went on to demonstrate some of the manifestations of slavery explaining signs to look out for.
They suggested someone in slavery might appear to be under the control of someone else, not have personal identification on them, have few personal belongings, wear the same clothes every day for work, and not be able to move around freely.
So, look around you! Who is under the control of someone? Who wears the same clothes to work every day? Who is not always allowed to communicate with the outside world? Who has been forced to sign an NDA or been threatened with the sack if they do not do so? Who is not allowed to report yacht managers for insisting Captains break the regulations and push crew to the limits of physical endurance? Yes, I know about how well we are paid to do the job and how good the tips are. Remember, I am one of the very few yachting journalists that ever did
do the job themselves, but way back then, when I was Captain, people were not so mean spirited, and guests were far less demanding because charter brokers and TV reality shows had not built up their expectations to be so high.
Michael Howorth asks if we are looking the other way to modern day slavery in an
industry that thinks it’s the norm to work a 16 hour day during those long charter seasons
Now I am not suggesting that there is any connection between superyachts and real slavery, but I am going to suggest that sometimes, those who work as crew on board yachts can be victims of treatment no better than slaves. It is time we stopped using the words; six-star service. There is no such thing anyway, so why boast that superyachts can achieve it? The statement is as moronic and pointless as the platitudes mouthed by idiots claiming to put 120% of effort into guest service!
Far too frequently, hours of work regulations are being flaunted with reports of crew working 16 hours in 24 on charter. Far too often, we hear that if crew complain that they are not being given enough time to rest, that they are let go, such is the plentiful supply of wannabe deckies and stews that they are easy to replace.
There was an appalling story recently of exploitation aboard a foreign chartered fishing vessel in international waters off New Zealand. It proved how escaping the eyes of authorities enables exploitation and slavery-like conditions at sea. The campaign resulted in the government of New Zealand passing a new law requiring foreign chartered vessels to fly the New Zealand flag and so become subject to their labour regulations and inspections, offering new protections for crew on board these vessels.
So, I ask why are we, as an industry, allowing charter brokers to sell the impossible dream and why is it that yacht managers are pushing Captains and their crews to break the hours of work regulations in an attempt to provide it? Why are we blindly enslaving ourselves to a cause and a goal that is impossible to achieve?
ONBOARD | WINTER 2022 | 7
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 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204
