Shipping is one of the few industries with an international minimum wage. The ILO sets a minimum monthly wage for able seafarers (certified, low ranking deck crew) through the Joint Maritime Commission, on which the ITF represents seafarers alongside shipowners and governments — giving companies a clear, globally applicable benchmark to contract against. Yet shipowners and operators consistently underpay or withhold pay from seafarers for work already done – income that seafarers’ families depend on.
Unpaid wages also catalyse other risks. Families at home fall into debt, and a seafarer owed months of pay is far less able to refuse an extension, challenge unsafe work or walk away. The subsequent safety and health risks are obvious. Withheld wages are an indicator of forced labour under ILO standards, and an adverse human rights impact under the OECD Guidelines.
Under ITF Agreements, ITF inspectors in ports worldwide have the right to:
- Board ships
- Review wage accounts, contracts and overtime records
- Enforce wage scales set out in ITF Agreements
- Recover unpaid wages
Unpaid wages – wage theft – account for around 1,500 complaints the ITF’s 130 inspectors receive each year. In 2024, ITF inspectors recovered USD58.1 million in owed wages to seafarers.
For more on remuneration risks and forced labour, see the Risks Across Transport guidance.