The International Transport Workers’ Federation said it has recovered $44,613,880 of seafarers’ wage arrears.
The ITF Inspectorate Coordinator, Steve Trowsdale, in a statement on Monday, also raised the alarm over record abandonment of vessels globally in the maritime space.
He said the number of reported ship abandonment jumped from 40 in 2019 to 85 in 2020.
“Despite fewer inspections we were able to undertake due to the Coronavirus Disease protocols, our inspectors actually recovered almost the same amount of owed wages for seafarers as we did last year.
“The pandemic has proved genuinely difficult for some ship-owners who have struggled to pay for more expensive repatriation flights than what they were used to get seafarers home, and the new cost of quarantine. But financial challenges faced by companies are no reason to suspend the payment wages or not uphold seafarers’ human rights,” said Trowsdale.
He said the owed wages figure was substantial considering how difficult it had been for inspectors to board ships due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“Despite restrictions, inspectors supported seafarers with 7,476 cases in 2020, with more than 6,000 vessels boarded.
“ITF inspectors often conduct ‘inspection’ on vessels to ensure the health and safety of the crew, and that seafarers on board are fed, supported and paid in accordance with all relevant contractual and legal entitlements. They help seafarers stand up for their rights to stop working and get home at the end of contracts. But with the pandemic, in-person inspections have become difficult in some countries,” added.
According to him, being unable to visit vessels in many places, the inspectors and contacts have had to work remotely and engage more than ever before with seafarers through digital channels like the social media.
“The result has been the ITF holding the line for seafarers and their rights during the pandemic,” said Trowsdale. “Every dollar recovered by the ITF and our inspectors is income that seafarers and their families are counting on. This is money they earned, need and deserve. Seafaring can be a hard, challenging work that requires much skill – and months away from your loved ones. The ITF family won’t let employers rip seafarers off, if we can stop it.”
