Friday, June 20, 2008

I.T.W.F. study reports on crew conditions

A recent report by MORI for the International Transport Workers' Federation has stated that a quarter of crewmembers surveyed said that they had been the victim of racism while 10 percent had suffered physical violence. The Seafarers' Living Conditions Survey questioned 6,504 crewmembers using a form which was then evaluated. Some 11 percent said they had to pay to get a job with 43 percent of Indonesian citizens reporting they had to pay. Crews on open-registry ships accounted for 44 percent of those questioned, about the proportion of the gross tonnage of open registry ships, but vessels under open registry total only 19 percent. Ships registered in Romania, Russia and Ukraine were ranked the lowest with the longest hours, lowest pay and most unsafe conditions. Also, many crewmembers reported that they are paid less than the federation level of U.S.$1,100 per month at the time of the survey. Some 84 percent of Philippine citizens earned less.

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