Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Foreign ship `detained' for paying low wages

By Our Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM NOV. 29. Even as the countdown has begun for launching a special campaign against Flags of Convenience (FoC) ships during December 1-5, the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) has `detained' a foreign ship displaying Malta flag at the local harbour for failure to pay minimum wages.

On receipt of a complaint from the crew, the local inspector of London-based ITF, B.V. Ratnam, and some volunteers searched the ship m.v. Atol on Friday while it was at the anchorage at the harbour with imported cargo of rock phosphate, and found the captain, Yatsenko Sergiy, an Ukrainian, `absconding.'

"I interacted with the crew members and found that as against resolution adopted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on payment of minimum wages to the seafarers, the owners of the ship hailing from Ukraine are paying low wages,'' Mr. Ratnam told reporters on Saturday.

According to him, the seafarers were getting $ 200 as against the recommended $ 850 per month. The ship was being operated by a Greek company named Primos Maritime. On inquiry, it was confirmed that the Ukrainian owner leased out the vessel to a Greek firm.

"Immediately on completion of our search operation, we held negotiations with the owners based in the Ukraine through our headquarters located in London,'' he said.

Meanwhile, the Visakhapatnam Port Employees' Union (VPEU) general secretary, D.K. Sarma, said several ship owners operate their vessels through firms registered with countries which were not signatories to ILO on minimum wages and working conditions recommended to the seafarers.

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