RMT BATTLES FOR RIGHTS OF FERRY WORKERS

RMTnews :: december 2006 :: www.rmt.org.uk 12 SHIPPING RMT BATTLES FOR RIGHTS OF FERRY WORKERS As a result of the Irish Ferries dispute, when foreign ratings replaced Irish seafarers on much lower rates of pay, RMT joined forces with the Irish union, SIPTU, NUMAST and the French union CfDT to call on the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) to convene an urgent conference to discuss the decline in seafaring jobs in European affiliate countries. The continued ‘social dumping’ by employers in the European ferry sector was highlighted most graphically by the Irish Ferries dispute which saw Irish seafarers resisting the forced introduction of low-cost Latvian seafarers. The campaign received widespread media coverage and over 150,000 people took to the streets in support of the campaign against exploitation of seafarers. The union was represented at the conference by national secretary Steve Todd and two members of the Council of Executives, with further assistance provided by ITF UK co-ordinator Norrie McVicar. Discussions among delegates centred on the extent of the problem with calls for the European Transport Workers Federation (ETF) to lead the fight back. There was a consensus from all affiliates, including those from Eastern Europe, of the need to oppose discrimination in all its forms and the campaign against Irish Ferries was used as an example of what could be achieved. It was felt that the momentum generated by the Irish Ferries dispute, including the calling of the conference, should not be lost. DECLINE European seafarers are vital to the continued functioning of the shipping industry and the ferry sector is a last bastion of employment in commercial sectors for many seafarers. In 1996 a special conference entitled “Seafarers an Endangered Species” was held in Dublin to highlight the serious concerns regarding the future survival of European seafarers. European Commissioner Neil Kinnock was instrumental in the publication of a revised set of EU Maritime State Aid Guidelines and the EU Crewing Directive for regular passenger and ferry services operating within the European Union. Unfortunately, the Crewing Directive failed to gain the support of all member states and, ten years on, the position for EU seafarers, especially ratings from north western European states, has deteriorated further. ETF Legal representatives advised conference that EU social policy was meant to have equal importance to the EU internal market. However, they stated that there was a dilemma at the heart of EU policy-making as single market integration was clearly not going to guarantee social conditions for seafarers. There was a widespread feeling amongst delegates that EU shipowners are intent on a ‘race to the bottom’ by employing seafarers on the lowest rates of pay possible. The judgement by the European Court of Justice on the Viking Line will also be important in determining the ability of trade unions to defend members against social dumping, (see separate box). ATHENS POLICY Affiliates felt that the ITF already had the ‘Athens policy’ which was the appropriate tool to be used to enforce acceptable social standards on board ships trading within the EU. The Athens policy states that for ferries operating between ports of the European Union the pay and conditions of the seafarers shall be equivalent or superior to those of the appropriate collective agreements of the affiliates in the countries concerned. If the conditions in the two countries are different, then the affiliated unions shall establish the superior conditions or together establish the applicable conditions. If no mutual understanding is reached an ITF arbitration procedure shall apply. DISCRIMINATION Round-table debates at the conference looked at the recent disputes in the ferry sector, how to preserve jobs in this sector and how to establish decent working conditions. RMT national secretary Steve Todd spoke on the decline of working conditions and told delegates and European politicians of the decline in conditions of employment on the UK flag. He outlined how shipowners arguments regarding residence were just an excuse to discriminate through lower pay and conditions. He used the example of Filipino seafarers working for P&O North Sea Ferries for a continuous three months on board the vessel before receiving one months break. Their pay was only half that of UK seafarers undertaking the same work. Steve advised the audience how the ITF were recently RMT played a leading role in calling for action to stem the tide of job losses for European seafaring ratings at a recent conference in Brussels.