Perth Voice Interactive

THE International Transport Workers FederaÅtion (ITF) says it recovered around $60 million in “stolen wages” from ports around Western Australia in one week.

The ITWF has been running a Nowhere to Hide campaign and at the conclusion of a week of action on WA ports on Friday, Australian coordinator Ian Bray said conditions for international seafarers were dire.

Mr Bray said due to current Australian legislation some short-changing of the seafarers was actually legal, which he says infuriates his members.

“How can we say we believe in fairness when this happen,” Mr Bray said.

Exploited

Seafaring is often regarded as an invisible workforce, which Mr Bray says is exploited by shipping companies to provide sailors with little to no job security.

Crew are often registered overseas and sent on flag of convenience ships where the Fair Right to Work or Coastal Trading Act are afterthoughts.

It a “commercial override of the human elements”, he says.

He claims international seafarers are being paid half the Australian minimum wage, which led to Aussie seafarers getting bumped off for cheaper labour. 

“It’s an existential sea crisis,” Mr Bray said.

Mr Bray said the Week of Action and the campaign was aimed at creating awareness about the issue and to shame governments into taking action.

He wants market rates applied to all seafarers in Australian waters and to have it enshrined in enterprise bargaining agreements.

by SIENNA DALY