The Associated Marine Officers’ and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP) aired support to the International Transport Workers’ Federation’s (ITF) move to protect seafarers from being tasked to carry out ‘cargo-lashing’ and ‘unlashing’ work, as securing of cargo is a dangerous work if done by untrained workers.
OCA
“Cargo lashing and unlashing is a work of dockers, not of seafarers,” said Dr. Conrad F. Oca, President-Chairman of AMOSUP, who stressed that absence of training for lashing and unlashing, could lead to injury or even death.”
An update from ITF says lives are being put at risk and dockers are suffering because employers are still trying to force seafarers to carry out lashing and unlashing work. According to Dr. Oca, quoting ITF reports, “this happens because port operators believe they can speed up port operations and save money by not hiring port workers to do the job.”
The ITF through its delegation led by ITF president Mr. Padraig ‘Paddy’ Crumlin recently met with AMOSUP officials in Manila, held discussions to achieve more productive collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) to the benefit of union members.
According to Oca, ITF CBA Article 3 “clearly states” that lashing and unlashing of cargo is dockers’ work, and the ‘crew should not be asked to undertake this work’, unless there is prior agreement from the local ITF dockers’ union. An ITF information dispatch, says, “Companies, masters or officers asking seafarers to carry out lashing and unlashing work who do not have written permission are ‘in breach of this contract.”
To help concerned seafarers, ITF says that if they are asked to do lashing or unlashing work in breach of an ITF contract, they could contact ReclaimLashing@itf.org.uk, send in their complaints, include the name and location of vessel, assuring that ITF will not tell their employer and keep details confidential.-
There are around 1.2 million to 1.5 million seafarers worldwide, some 30 percent of them are Filipinos who are mostly preferred by ship owners and operators. Last year, overseas Filipino seafarers (OFS) remitted $ 5.75 billion to Philippine coffers.
Tags: AMOSUP, AMOSUP backs ITF for protecting seafarers against ‘cargo-unlashing’, cargo-lashing, International Transport Workers’ Federation's (ITF), manila bulletin, mb.com.ph, untrained workers
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