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ETF workshop tackles poor working conditions at sea and bad image associated with maritime professions
29 June 2010
At the ETF workshop in Berlin (Germany) on Tuesday 15 June 2010, representatives of trade unions, shipowners, maritime academies, universities, manning agents, the European Commission and ILO discussed how to enhance the image of the maritime sector and promote quality working and living conditions at sea. The 40 participants, coming from 16 different countries, provided several recommendations to turn the tide and improve the attractiveness of the sector as working environment.
The workshop reflected on the shipping profession regarding its image, and the way it attracts young workers and women to start their career and retains the manpower. It assessed the working and living conditions of seafarers, also throwing a light on the gender dimension.
A worrying picture of working conditions for men and women at sea
The workshop started with Erol Kahveci from the London Metropolitan University in Great Britain who presented several case studies and addressed critical issues that influence the image of the maritime sector. He mentioned the problem of social isolation due to insufficient communication facilities and the denial or limited time to go ashore, mainly because of high workload. The seafarers face long working hours and increased risk of accidents caused by excessive fatigue. Together with the increasing problem of piracy, all these factors make the maritime sector one of the most dangerous industries. Health and safety at sea is also threatened by an excessive exposure to noise and vibration. Similarly, mental and psychological problems occur more frequently.
The working environment appears unsuited to the requirements of women. Problems of sexual harassment, the difficulty to reconcile working and family life and the reluctance of the industry to accept women are shedding them from the sector. The coordinator and member of the academics’ network, Erol Kahveci, concluded his presentation with the recommendation to raise public awareness about the importance of shipping and the need for appropriate recruitment policies. “It is part of the basic human rights to have a healthy and safe working environment, to prevent fatigue, stress and excessive working hours,” he stated. Two round tables were organised to discuss the national and European campaigns, strategies and policies concerning the topics of this ETF workshop.
Is a negative image the actual problem of the sector?
The workshop formulated an amount of recommendations to tackle the discussed issues. The sector has to cope with an aging workforce and shortage of young European seafarers. The European workforce is reducing fast and the maritime expertise disappears – said Dieter Benze, ETF Maritime Transport Section Vice-Chair. However, participants seemed to agree that the image of the sector is possibly not the core of the problem, the deteriorating working conditions might form the real issue. “The development of long life learning opportunities, more investment in the training of trainers, new European Community initiatives, in the form of a revamped legislative proposal, to ensure a level playing field is set and a legislative framework to improve the working conditions. These are all elements that together can form the basis for a solution,” said Philippe Alfonso, ETF Maritime Transport Section Political Secretary. “Besides that, - he continued - trade unions and European social dialogue must keep on playing its important role to guarantee fair and decent working conditions.” “Ratifying ILO Conventions, and more specifically, the ILO Maritime Labour Convention 2006, is crucial to ensure substandard shipping are swept away from European waters,” said Brandt Wagner, ILO maritime specialist. What is more, the enforcement part is the most important one in the Convention. There is a need to ensure that port states are prepared to make those rules properly applied. It was stressed that, while it is essential that all EU Member States ratify the Convention, which sets minimum standards, Europe can and needs to increase those standards to the highest possible level if the objective is to attract and retain more seafarers in Europe.
Recommendations for European Sectoral Social Dialogue
This was the second workshop out of three, held in the framework of the ETF project on “Enhancing Recruitment and Training in the European Shipping Industry”. The first workshop was organised in Nantes on 27 April, the third workshop is to be held in London on 30 September 2010 and will address the topic “how to ensure a better career path and long term prospects in the maritime cluster”. A final conference in Genoa, on 18 November 2010 will draw conclusions and pave the way for a follow up in the framework of the European Sectoral Social Dialogue for which recommendations will be addressed at the end of the project.
The opinions expressed in the following presentations / speeches / recommendations are those of the author(s) only and should not be considered as representative of the ETF official position.
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