Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People

People on the Move

N° 106 (Suppl.-I), April 2008

Current Situation of the Maritime World

David Cockroft

General Secretary

International Transport Workers’ Federation – ITF

International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF)

• Global union federation for transport workers
• 600 unions, 5 million transport workers
• Seafarers, Fisheries, Inland Navigation, Road, Rail, Civil Aviation and Tourism Services
• 230 seafarers unions representing 700,000 members

Aims of the ITF

• Organise solidarity between unions
• Represent transport workers to decision-making bodies, alongside governments and employers
• Provide information, education and assistance to strengthen the position of ITF affiliated unions
• Post Durban Congress, ‘Organising Globally’

ITF Maritime Activities

• FOC Campaign                      

              - ILO MLC, 2006

• POC Campaign

• Fisheries

              - ILO Work in Fisheries, 2007?

• Seafarers’ Trust

Current Challenges

• Isolation and job security
• Stress and criminalisation
• Security issues and denial of shore leave
• Safety and health problems, incl. Fatigue
• Abandonment
• Abusive practices in fisheries

Seafarers’ Welfare Study

Commissioned by the ITF Seafarers’ Trust:

• To assess the current welfare needs of seafarers
• To inform Trust decision making processes when awarding grants to new projects
• To contribute to knowledge base on current conditions in the industry

Seafarers’ Welfare Study

• 4,185 questionnaires to seafarers
•             - 3,792 returned
• 112 interviews with seafarers
• 200 survey questionnaires to owners and managers – 86 returned
• 52 semi-structured interviews with owners / managers

Key Outcomes

• Seafarers’ priorities: communication and transport to facilities
• Of declining importance: organised sightseeing, sports facilities, meeting local people, reading room, video/book exchange, onshore accommodation

• Dominance of economic pressures
• Trend in dehumanising the job
• Reduced manning levels
• Faster turnarounds in port
• Long terms of voyage
• Increased pressure (criminalisation)
• Problems in accessing facilities

Shore Leave

• 64% of respondents to the survey had not had shore leave during the previous eight weeks
• 36% who had had shore leave during the period said their leave lasted for 2 hours on average
• Compares with 57% satisfied with shore leave in 1996 MORI survey

Seafarers’ Welfare Workers

• 72% said they had not seen any seafarers’ welfare worker onboard during their current contract
• Majority of seafarers would like to have contact with a welfare workers – main reasons given: for information about the local area and for personal counselling
• 70% would like to have a welfare worker sailing on their vessels from time to time

Life at Sea

Seafarers descriptions of their life:

‘being in prison’, ‘isolated’, ‘lonely’, ‘a sacrifice’ to provide better conditions for loved ones

What they would like:

Free transport to welfare facilities, information about ports where they call, balanced application of ISPS, improved communication facilities 

ITF & AoS

• Over the lift of the Trust, AoS has received over £9 million in grants for use in more than 280 different projects
• Importance of co-operation and partnership with other agencies
• Welcome commitment to maritime welfare, look forward to more long-term maritime ministry initiatives