670 unions representing over 18 million transport workers from some 147 countries are members of the ITF.
Between 12 May and 16 May 1997, transport trade unions throughout Europe organised boycotts, strikes and demonstrations during the European week of action against substandard and flag of convenience (FOC) shipping. Be the first to know! All vessels covered by an ITF-approved agreement get a certificate, which signifies the agreed wages and working conditions on board.In many cases, the registries themselves are not even run from the country of the flag. Every year, millions of dollars are recovered by the ITF and its affiliated unions in backpay and in compensation for death or injury on behalf of seafarers who have nowhere else to turn.A flag of convenience ship is one that flies the flag of a country other than the country of ownership.
Unscrupulous manning agents circulate the names of seafarers who complain to inspectors.
What goes on at sea is often out of sight of regulators.
The International Transport Workers' Federation and flag of convenience shipping. Industrial Research Unit.] Some crews simply aren't paid. They are also an invisible labour force.
ITF Maritime News, Number 2, 1997, published by the ITF Maritime Department, UK. They travel the globe with everything we need, from bananas, oil, gas and building materials to cloth, grain and frozen meat. They work together to provide collective agreement coverage for all seafarers, irrespective of their nationality or country of origin.We try to ensure that seafarers who serve on FOC ships, whatever their nationality, are protected from exploitation by ship ownersThey monitor the payment of wages and other social and employment conditions.
Sign up to our breaking news e-mail alerts. [Herbert Roof Northrup; Richard L Rowan; Wharton School. And with even more cheap sources of labour opening up – notably China – conditions and pay risk becoming worse.The ITF has a powerful influence on the wages and conditions of seafarers working on ships flying flags of convenience (FOCs).Globalisation has helped to fuel this rush to the bottom. Some seafarers have even been jailed on returning home. This allows rogue ship owners to get away with abusing seafarers' rights without detection.A serious injury can ruin a life, end a seafaring career and rob a family of a regular income.
This would eliminate the flag of convenience system entirelyDespite the hardships, many FOC seafarers are too frightened to protest. 23 Jul 2020 Press Release. Seafarers are vital to all of us.
If necessary, they take action to enforce ITF policy.By ‘flagging out’, ship owners can take advantage of:We seek an international governmental agreement that there be a genuine link between the flag a ship flies and the nationality or residence of its owners, managers and seafarers. To address those issues, the ITF port of convenience campaign was initiated.ITF-approved collective agreements set the wages and working conditions for all crew on FOC vessels, irrespective of nationality.
Between the FPC meetings every second year, the elected FPC Steering Group reviews the day-to-day running and effectiveness of the flags of convenience campaign.Every day, the ITF hears about crews who are owed large sums of money.