Launch Of North Sea Unions Social Dumping Campaign
International Transport Workers'
Federation
7th February 2012
In Aberdeen today - 7th February 2012 - North Sea Trade Unions and affiliates to the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) from Norway, Denmark, and UK will launch an international campaign against Social Dumping in the North Sea Offshore Oil and Gas Industry.
The ITF affiliated unions representing Norway, Denmark, and the UK are concerned about the increasing number of ‘Flag of Convenience’ (FOC) and so-called “national” registered vessels operating on a regular basis in the North Sea. The impact of this is dramatically reduced opportunities for traditional national seafarer jobs, as companies employ and exploit low cost labour from countries such as Lithuania, Latvia, India, Romania and the Philippines’.
In
addition, Vessels registered in the Norwegian 1st registry
(NOR) are now being reflagged, as a consequence of the
unfair competition from other registers. They continue with
regular operations on the Norwegian Continental Shelf but
are replacing Norwegian Seafarers with other nationalities
on wages and working conditions far below Norwegian
standards.
The ITF affiliates are DEEPLY
CONCERNED that in the near future there will no longer be
any NOR vessels on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and
consequently no Norwegian Seafarers on board offshore supply
and service vessels operating in
Norway.
The ITF Affiliates’ BELIEVE that
the only way to prevent social dumping in the North Sea,
thereby upholding the competitiveness of our National
Seafarers is to demand Internationally acceptable wage and
working conditions for all Seafarers on board vessels
operating on the North Sea Continental Shelf, regardless of
nationality.
We ACKNOWLEDGE that the
shipping industry is a globalised industry, but we should
uphold traditional Seafarers rights to compete for jobs
servicing the petroleum industry on the North Sea
Continental Shelf and this should be based on acceptable
international standards on wages and working
conditions.
The ITF Affiliates
and seafarers will lay wreaths in national flag colours in
Aberdeen harbour today at 11am at Pocra Quay Aberdeen at
“Footdee Seafarers Memorial” in memory of those
Norwegian, Danish and British seafarers who have given their
lives for the industry and to recognise the continuous loss
of jobs and opportunities for Norwegian, Danish and British
seafarers in the North Sea.
Steve Todd, RMT
National Secretary said today; “The decline of British
ratings in the North Sea over the years has been dramatic,
and companies appear to be practicing ‘under the table
discrimination’ by refusing applications for jobs from
experienced British seafarers’ while employing low cost
workers from outside instead. The RMT will join other ITF
affiliates in calling on the oil and gas industry generally,
and Oil and Gas UK specifically, to seriously look at the
damage being done to the long term skills needs of the oil
and gas industry, where it’s recognised there will be a
shortage of 15,000 skilled workers over the next 5
years.”
Captain Hans Sande, Norwegian Officer Union said, that we should not forget that this is also a problem facing Danish and British seafarer and it should be addressed in the same notice. The fact that the ship owner has several national 2nd registers to shop among, creates a situation where the traditional registers cannot compete. As long as the policy of UK, Norway and Denmark is to keep the north sea open for “free competition” ,there is no way that we can maintain a sustainable recruitment in the long run .All we ask for, is fair competition in our own waters.
In the spirit of solidarity coming from a labour supplying country, Abdulgani Serang, General Secretary, National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) has demanded that the unhealthy practice of reflagging which directly contributes to social dumping is not acceptable. Firstly, our objective is that the jobs of seafarers from Norway, Denmark and UK should be protected and retained. Secondly, we support the demand of internationally acceptable wage and working conditions for the seafarers regardless of their nationality as a justified way to achieve this objective.
Supporting ITF Trade Unions
The
Norwegian Maritime Officers’ Association
(Norway)
Norwegian Union of marine Engineers
(Norway)
Norwegian Seafarers’ Union
(Norway)
Industri Energi (Norway)
3f & Danish Metal
(Denmark)
RMT (UK)
Nautilusint (UK)
Nautiusint
(Netherlands)
Unite (UK)
SUR (Russia)
SUC
(Croatia)
Verdi (Germany)
NUSI (India)
CFDT
(France)
ENDS