INSPECTION rights for labour unions when ships are visiting Australian ports need to be upheld, the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) says, citing concerns over crew welfare.
The issue came to a head after the recent appearance of two bulkers in Newcastle, the KIBO (IMO 9719331) and the PROLIN (IMO 9853058), both flagged in the Marshall Islands.
The ITF has cited KIBO's previous detention in Belgium while the PROLIN has attracted the ITF's ire due to links with the International Seafarers’ Union (ISU).
The ITF does not consider the ISU a genuine union and associates it with “sham workplace agreements”.
According to the ITF, NCIG management denied their inspectors access to the PROLIN to assess crew welfare.
However, the NCIG has said the ITF failed to meet ship access requirements.
ITF Inspector Dan Crumlin said the commercial interests of coal exporters and shipowners “must never be allowed to obstruct efforts to protect seafarers from unsafe conditions”.
The ITF says ISU has links with Lanibra, a private shipowners’ agency with which they are known to have differences.
Matt Purcell from the ITF has criticised ISU-Lanibra arrangements.
“A union is supposed to give workers a collective voice and the power to stand up to their employer,” Mr Purcell said.
“A sham union turns that principle on its head. It gives shipowners a way to present an exploitative employment arrangement as legitimate while workers are left with lower wages, worse conditions and fewer protections.”
The ITF Inspectorate has written to the KIBO’s charterer, warning of risks to the crew.
In a statement, the NCIG said it was committed to seafarer safety and welfare and supported processes for raising and investigating crew welfare concerns.
“We work closely with port welfare agencies, including AMSA and the Mission to Seafarers, together with ships agents, to address crew welfare issues as they are identified,” an NCIG spokesperson said.
“All visitors to NCIG’s terminal, including ITF inspectors, must meet access and maritime security requirements under the Maritime Transport and Offshore Facilities Security Act 2003.
“This includes advance notice of the visit, and Ship Master approval to access a vessel prior to entering the site. This process has been agreed with the ITF.
“In this instance, ship master approval had not been received by ITF, so NCIG could not facilitate access to the ship.
“NCIG does not have legal authority to grant access to a ship without the approval of the ship master. If the ITF have genuine crew welfare concerns and cannot get approval to access a ship at berth from the ship master, then the ITF are able to escalate this matter through AMSA, who can board the ship and initiate a formal investigation.”
The spokesperson said the NCIG remained willing to work with the ITF to arrange access if appropriate procedures were met by the ITF.