Nautilus has launched a global Fairness campaign as Seafarers Awareness Week begins, to tackle the worst inequalities faced by workers in the maritime industry.
Despite the reliance nations have on their maritime industries – with 90% of global trade being moved by sea – workers often experience low pay, discrimination, fatigue, mental health issues and poor workplace conditions.
The new campaign commits to promoting a fair deal for all workers.
Most people expect fairness in all aspects of life – fair pay for fair work, fair treatment from others and fair rules and regulations, but too often this isn’t the case for those working at seaGeneral secretary Mark Dickinson
At the campaign launch Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said: ‘The seafaring industry is truly unique, and this unfortunately means that sometimes workers find themselves in situations that simply wouldn’t happen in most other professions.
‘Most people expect fairness in all aspects of life – fair pay for fair work, fair treatment from others and fair rules and regulations, but too often this isn’t the case for those working at sea.
‘That’s why we’re committed to securing improvements across all aspects of the industry, to protect those currently working within it and to ensure those contemplating a career in the sector are not put off by out-of-date and simply unfair regulations and loopholes.’
The campaign, launched to mark Seafarers Awareness Week (6-12 July), will work across five key strands:
• Fair Treatment
• Fair Access
• Fair Pay
• Fair Society
• Fair Workplaces
The Fairness campaign was given strong backing at Nautilus’s 2019 General Meeting.
Nautilus will also conduct research to understand the current standard of living and working conditions onboard, exposing cases where seafarers and maritime professionals are treated unfairly by employers, while also sharing best practice to support the mental and physical wellbeing of members at sea. Improvements to connectivity at sea and stamping out bullying and harassment will be a focus.
On 24 June for International Day of the Seafarer Nautilus launched its Nautilus Fair Treatment App, which provides members with instant access to Union advice and support following an incident at sea.
The App was developed after survey of Nautilus members revealed 90% are concerned about the prospect of criminalisation at work and two thirds said it has an impact on the way they feel about working in shipping.
