The ILWU joined a successful effort by the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) to win better working conditions for seafarers in an industry that traditionally shunned unions and abused maritime workers. The agreement also protects dockworkers by recognizing their right to perform lashing and other cargo handling duties at ports around the world.
The ITF’s global consortium of unions, including the ILWU, were able to square-off with employers represented by the International Bargaining Forum (IBF) – the shipping industry’s largest employer group. The result is a four-year agreement covering seafarers that provides a 2.5% salary increases beginning January 2019, with a review of wages after two years and the opportunity to negotiate further increases.
Other improvements include better retirement and health provisions. The agreement covers an immense global workforce of 200,000 seafarers employed on more than 8,000 vessels flying “flags of convenience” that traditionally face little oversight. The ITF began negotiating contracts with the IBF multi-employer group beginning in 2003.
To help protect seafarers and win jurisdictional protection for dockworkers, the ITF launched a global campaign in May of 2015, called “Reclaim Lashing.” The effort exposed dangerous work practices that threatened the health and safety of seafarers who were ordered to perform lashing and other duties that were outsides of their training, skills, and scope of work. A series of actions in European and Canadian ports helped focus pressure on the industry to adopt reforms. ITF President Paddy Crumlin said, “Seafarers face serious economic and safety challenges on a daily bases, so negotiating this new agreement was absolutely essential.”
ILWU International Vice President Ray Familathe participated in the effort through his capacity as First Vice Chair of the ITF’s Dockers Section. Familathe praised efforts by European and Canadian leaders who helped secure the agreement, including ITF Dockers Section Second Vice-Chair Torben Seebold, for coordinating the campaign in European ports. ILWU Canada President Rob Ashton, who also serves as Executive Vice President of the Canadian Maritime Workers Council, said: “Our Council members all worked hard and were able to restore lashing jobs for dockers in Montreal.”
The agreement to have lashing work performed exclusively by dockers is expected to have the greatestimpact at ports located on the Baltic Sea, Northern and Western Europe, and Canada’s St. Lawrence Seaway. Implementation of the agreement is required by January of 2020.
“Everyone deserves credit for working together on this campaign to secure longshore jurisdiction and prevent further exploitation of seafarers,” said Familathe.