Press release: Zika virus: ITF releases guidelines for seafarers

Please find this release attached and below, along with the guidelines mentioned.

Yours,

Sam Dawson

ITF

19 February 2016

Zika virus: ITF releases guidelines for seafarers

The ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation) has issued an information factsheet in a bid to help seafarers around the world to protect themselves from the Zika virus.

 

The virus, caused by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, is currently circulating in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific. There have also been reported cases of the virus being spread through blood transfusion and sexual contact.

The Zika virus disease usually causes a mild fever, skin rash and conjunctivitis for a period of two to seven days but it is particularly dangerous for women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, and has been linked to genetic birth defects. There is no specific treatment or vaccine currently available.

 

ITF maritime coordinator Jacqueline Smith said: "Our business is helping to protect the health and safety of seafarers. They are a particularly vulnerable group to this type of disease because they are in transit a lot of the time and there are a number of major trade routes passing through areas impacted by the Zika virus.

 

"The reality for seafarers is that if they're going to be able to take any precautions against contracting the virus – things like sleeping under mosquito nets, using repellent, wearing light covering clothing, covering water containers – they need to prepare in advance, before they are at sea for a number or weeks or even months."

 

The guidelines can be downloaded at http://goo.gl/R8TJe2 

 

ENDS

 

Attachment

Zika virus: information for seafarers

 

 

 

 

ITF communications: getting the message out - when and where it matters

www.itfglobal.org 

www.facebook.com/ITFglobal 

Twitter: @itfglobalunion

This email is confidential and may be privileged. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and then delete it immediately. You should not copy it or use it for any purpose nor disclose its contents to any other person. Any views or opinions expressed within the email are solely those of the sender and do not necessarily represent those of the ITF or the Seafarers' Trust.

Press release: ITF notes achievements of ILO meeting

Please find this release attached and below.

Yours,

Sam Dawson

ITF

12 February 2016

ITF notes achievements of ILO meeting

The ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation) has praised the progress made at this week's maritime meetings of the ILO in Geneva, which have just concluded.

 

Speaking from the proceedings, ITF seafarers' section chair and ILO Seafarers' Group spokesperson Dave Heindel, said: "It's great to see these two meetings – the ILO MLC Special Tripartite Committee (STC) and the Ad Hoc Tripartite Maritime Committee for the amendment of Convention 185 – build on the existing provisions.  On the MLC developments, one of the wins has been the achievement of a resolution to establish a working group to prepare proposals for an amendment to protect seafarers' wages when they are held captive, on or off the vessel as victims of a criminal act."

 

Mr Heindel continued: "The possibility of temporarily extending the MLC certificate for up to five months was also agreed.  However, we have ensured that the new certificate will be dated from the date of the original expiry date.  Thus ensuring that certificates are only valid for five years, as intended.

 

"The further win is the adoption of an amendment to address harassment and bullying onboard ships with the inclusion of the recently published ICS and ITF guidelines.* The meeting additionally provided a forum to raise the case of the Australian government's unforgivable behavior concerning the MV Portland.**"

 

With regard to the Convention 185 amendments, which seek to further facilitate seafarers' access to shore leave and transit to and from a vessel,  Mr Heindel said:  "Today we amended the ILO Convention 185 Annexes to incorporate the latest ICAO 9303 Standard.  The convention was based on a standard that has been superseded.  We hope that this will make the convention the success we aspired to when it was adopted in 2003, and that it will secure further ratification – finally facilitating access to shore leave without a visa, and transit to and from vessels."

 

As a result of the amendments being agreed, the Ad Hoc Tripartite Committee, which comprises shipowner, seafarer and government representatives, unanimously proposed and adopted a resolution on the facilitation of access to shore leave and transit of seafarers.

 

Mr Heindel concluded: "We believe we have made substantial progress and look forward to the provisions of the resolution being delivered in the real world for the benefit of our seafarers."

 

* For more details see goo.gl/Er8rt9 

** For more details see http://goo.gl/J3CET3

For more about the MLC 2006 see www.itfglobal.org/en/transport-sectors/seafarers/in-focus/maritime-labour-convention

 

ENDS

 

 

ITF communications: getting the message out - when and where it matters

www.itfglobal.org 

www.facebook.com/ITFglobal 

Twitter: @itfglobalunion

This email is confidential and may be privileged. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and then delete it immediately. You should not copy it or use it for any purpose nor disclose its contents to any other person. Any views or opinions expressed within the email are solely those of the sender and do not necessarily represent those of the ITF or the Seafarers' Trust.

Australia¹s cabotage undermining attacked at ILO

Please find this release attached and below.

Yours,

Sam Dawson

ITF

12 February 2016

Australia's cabotage undermining attacked at ILO

The Seafarers' Group at the International Labour Organization (ILO) has strongly criticised the Conservative Australian Government 's role in undermining Australian workers in maritime cabotage trades during a meeting in Geneva this week.

 

The Seafarers' Group represents workers in the maritime sector in ILO forums. It includes the ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation) as well as Chinese seafarers' unions.

 

The criticism comes after five Australian crew onboard the MV Portland were in the early hours of January 13 removed from their beds, marched from the vessel and abandoned on the wharf.

 

They were replaced by an exploited Indian crew and questions still remain about the type of visas these workers were on and the Customs clearance they had received.

 

The Australian Parliament heard this week that the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) was aware an Australian crew would be removed from the cargo ship MV Portland three weeks before it happened.

 

It heard that the government did not question whether shipowner Alcoa had a genuine commercial reason for needing a temporary licence to lower costs, because the relevant legislation doesn't act in that way.

 

ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation) president Paddy Crumlin said the Australian Government and its agencies had deliberately not told the workers and their union that they were to be replaced.

 

"The Australian government has been identified as being part of an organised conspiracy of harassment and bullying including against the Indian seafarers who were denied their rights," Mr Crumlin said.

 

"The ITF is now closely assessing whether it will make a formal complaint to the ILO over possible breaches to the Maritime Labour Convention.

 

"This action has brought Australia into serious disrepute in the international maritime and labour movement while the Australian government appears to have failed its duty of care as a port state operator under the MLC."

 

Australia has cabotage laws which cover trade through domestic ports and the use of both Australian-flagged and Australian-crewed vessels.

 

The Australian senate voted in November to retain these laws yet the government has twice pushed ahead with the issuing of a temporary licence, with crew forced from the CSL Melbourne by up to 70 police officers last Friday.

 

Dave Heindel, chair of the ITF seafarers' section, added: "The Australian government's behaviour has now been raised at the heart of the ILO. That government's  apparent disregard, for its seafarers, national shipping industry and even its own laws, has been exposed at this important international forum. The recent raids on the vessels Portland and Melbourne call out for censure."

 

ITF general secretary Steve Cotton commented: "The heavy-handed, staged raids on these two ships revealed that Australia is failing to abide by the very cabotage laws intended to protect its marine industry. This justified criticism at the ILO reflects the apparent almost suicidal determination by the Australian government to destroy the national shipping capability that is vital for the country's economy, jobs and wellbeing."

 

Abdulgani Serang, general secretary-cum-treasurer of the National Union of Seafarers of India said: "India has cabotage. We have Indian-flagged ships and those are totally manned by Indian seafarers. Likewise we support seafarers working on the national-flagged ships of their countries. The Australian flag has to be for Australian seafarers. In this case our Australian brothers were taken off the ship and replaced by deceit. They were replaced by Indian seafarers, our members, who were deceived and not made aware of what was really going on - that they were replacing Australian seafarers on an Australian-flagged ship in an Australian port. My union has condemned this fraud. We are all for Australian jobs on Australian-flagged vessels. We support the Australian seafarers."

 

ENDS

 

 

 

 

ITF communications: getting the message out - when and where it matters

www.itfglobal.org 

www.facebook.com/ITFglobal 

Twitter: @itfglobalunion

This email is confidential and may be privileged. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and then delete it immediately. You should not copy it or use it for any purpose nor disclose its contents to any other person. Any views or opinions expressed within the email are solely those of the sender and do not necessarily represent those of the ITF or the Seafarers' Trust.

Joint press release: IDC and ITF meet to defend dockers' rights

Please find this joint press release attached and below.

Yours,

Sam Dawson

ITF

 

 

 

IDC-ITF joint press statement

 

 

5 February 2016

IDC and ITF meet to defend dockers' rights

Representatives of the International Dockworkers' Council (IDC) and International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) met in Barcelona, Spain, today to explore how to work together to defend dockers' jobs and rights.

 

The one-day meeting agreed the following statement of intent:

 

Representatives of the International Dockworkers' Council (IDC) and International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) meeting in Barcelona today 5th February 2016 have agreed to find ways of working more closely together with the aim of strengthening solidarity between dockworkers' globally and supporting each other in fighting back against attacks on their working terms and conditions, and job security.

 

These common challenges faced by our members are the result of significant changes in maritime transport, and some employers and governments pursuing a neo-liberal agenda characterised by union busting including through automation, the casualisation of jobs and deregulation of labour standards and protections.  Collective agreements are increasingly being violated and we are concerned over health and safety conditions in ports, as well as attempts to limit dockworkers' ability to exercise their trade union rights.

 

We have established a joint committee to develop a strategy and plan actions urgently to tackle the key challenges and issues faced by dockworkers globally.

 

In particular, our organisations will cooperate on:

 

Campaigning and solidarity support to secure and maintain dockworkers' rights internationally, especially in the global terminal operating companies (GNTs); and

 

Managing the impact of automation, securing lashing work and respect for dockworkers' jurisdiction.

 

We anticipate an active and fruitful collaboration between our two organisations to build dockworkers' power around the world.

 

Paddy Crumlin, ITF president and chair of its dockers' section, commented: "This has been a landmark event. Both organisations are now best placed to promote and defend the rights of international dockworkers."

 

Jordi Aragunde, IDC general coordinator, added: "Today's meeting was designed to further our joint efforts to aid and represent dockers worldwide. It is a pleasure to see it result in such concrete outcomes."

 

Torben Seebold, ITF vice chair and ETF (European Transport Workers' Federation) dockers' section vice chair, added: "Dockers do hard and often dangerous work which is rarely given the recognition it deserves. The ITF and IDC are committed to changing that."

 

IDC European zone coordinator Anthony Tetard concluded: "Dockers face common challenges, which demand a united response. Today we have agreed one."

 

ENDS

 

For more details please contact:

 

At the IDC: IDC: Susana Busquets, IDC Secretariat. Email: coordination@idcdockworkers.org. Tel: +34 646 479 590

At the ITF: Sam Dawson, press and editorial manager. Email: dawson_sam@itf.org.uk. Tel: +44 20 7940 9260

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ITF communications: getting the message out - when and where it matters

 

www.itfglobal.org 

www.facebook.com/ITFglobal 

Twitter: @itfglobalunion

 

 

This email is confidential and may be privileged. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and then delete it immediately. You should not copy it or use it for any purpose nor disclose its contents to any other person. Any views or opinions expressed within the email are solely those of the sender and do not necessarily represent those of the ITF or the Seafarers' Trust.