INTERNATIONAL Transport Workers Federation inspectors from the US, South Korea, United Kingdom and Sweden will join Australian inspectors targeting wage theft at Western Australian ports from 21 to 27 July.
The Week of Action will target all forms of exploitation, undertaking welfare checks on international seafarers working on foreign flagged ships by ensuring that the rights of seafarers are being upheld in accordance with the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC2006).
It includes such things as regular payment of wages, including overtime, hours of work and rest being properly documented, shore leave provided for, repatriation of seafarers, adequate supply of food and fresh water, accessible Wi-Fi services, and seafarers being treated fairly without fear of intimidation, bullying and harassment.
Inspectors will be supported by ITF trained volunteers throughout the week.
Addressing delegates at the Seafarers Welfare Conference at the Esplanade Hotel Fremantle on 17 July, the ITF’s Australian Inspectorate Coordinator, Ian Bray, said two weeks of action, one week in New South Wales, and one in South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria in June last year collectively brought in about $US10 million for seafarers.
The ITF expects the wage theft found on ships in WA to replicate the findings from the eastern seaboard.
The $US10 million identified as stolen wages uncovered on the east coast included failure to pay the Australian seagoing award rates on ships engaged in coastal trading where crews had qualified for such payments.
Mr Bray said wage theft in Australian waters is a significant concern with the ITF identifying and recovering a total of $US20 million for seafarers from 650 inspections in 2023.
The campaign aims to raise awareness about the treatment of international seafarers on ships sailing under so-called flags of convenience (FOC) and calls on the Australian Government to make legislative and regulatory changes that close loopholes and make it more difficult for exploitative practices to occur.
“We are putting international ship owners on notice that we will be shining a light on the maritime industry and will be attempting to identify as much exploitation as we possibly can for the wage justice and rights of overseas seafarers,” Mr Bray said.
“We will also be focussing on payments under the Fair Work Act, the employment arrangements for international workers employed in the Offshore Oil and Gas industry, as well as the visa and employment arrangements for ship’s crews operating in the expedition cruise industry. The emphasis will be on international seafarers working in these industries being employed on the same terms and conditions as any Australian doing the same job.
“The seafarers on the FOC ships come from some of the poorest countries in the world and most Australians would agree they should receive fair and just wages.”
He pointed to the Robbed at Sea report, commissioned by the ITF and published by the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work in 2022, which set out the systematic exploitation of vulnerable seafarers working in Australian waters.
The report suggested that 70% of ships carrying imports and exports fail to meet minimum international standards for wage payment, and $38 million in stolen wages was recovered over a 10-year period by the ITF Inspectorate undertaking spot checks at Australian ports.
The FOC vessels are usually registered in low-wage, developing countries, with limited power to resist exploitation by unethical ship owners, contractors and sub-contractors.
