[ARTICLE] SEAFARERS: Defend Our Livelihood, Assert Our Rights!
Translation: Bahasa
Current challenges for seafarers and fishers in a world in conflict
IMA Seafarers Working Group Forum
14/15 Dec 2024
Summary article
As part of IMA’s “9 Days of Migrant and Refugee Activism” between 10-18 December 2024, the IMA-USA Chapter along with co-organisers from the International Seafarers Action Center (ISAC), Pacific Coast Coalition for Seafarers (PCCS), Concerned Seafarers of the Philippines (CSP) and Migrante International held a global online forum on the, “Current challenges for seafarers and fishers in a world in conflict”—with the theme, ‘SEAFARERS: Defend Our Livelihood, Assert Our Rights!’. An estimated 2000 seafarers die on the seas each year, with no accountability or thorough investigation into these deaths by governments or employers. This forum aimed to highlight the specific issues that seafarers and fisherfolk face, and to promote their ongoing campaigns for rights and justice. The forum was attended by almost 30 participants, and live-streamed to more than 500 viewers from Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the US and other parts of the world.
Atty. Edwin Dela Cruz from the ISAC highlighted the worsening of the already-exploitative and inhumane conditions that seafarers face amidst intensifying geopolitical conflicts. The US-Israel genocide in Palestine and their bombardment of surrounding regions endanger the seafarers passing through the Red Sea and Suez Canal. Ships are being forced to re-route, which also threatens seafarers’ safety, increases exposure to piracy incidents and undermines the seafarers’ mental and physical wellbeing. In addition to the dangers of intensifying war and conflict, seafarers continue to suffer dangerous working conditions, inadequate food and water, long working hours and very low wages. These conditions persist due to neoliberal policies of countries which sell ‘flags of convenience (FOC)’ to shipping companies, allowing governments to profit from these companies in exchange for loose regulations, low taxes and cheap labour costs. Atty. Dela Cruz stressed the need to form grassroots unions, and connect them with other organisations advocating for seafarers’ rights. The ISAC’s current campaigns are for;
Regularisation and security of tenure for seafarers;
Inclusion of fishers as seafarers;
Implementation of ILO MLC 2006 by Flag states, Port states and Labour supplying states, and;
Abolishment of the Labour Export Program in the Philippines.
Engr. Xavier Bayoneta from the CSP shared his organisation's concerns over the safety of his fellow seafarers crossing the Red Sea. Israel’s attacks have already killed three crew members in March, and one in June this year. 17 crew members were taken hostage in Yemen, and 25 were taken hostage in Iran. Shipping companies have a duty to act when seafarers’ lives are in danger, but they continue to risk workers’ lives with complete disregard for their health and safety. Again, these conditions persist due to neoliberal policies of labour-supplying countries such as the Philippines, that sell the labour of skilled seafarers and fisherfolk as export commodities. The CSP recently launched a campaign against the Republic Act 12021, a Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers released by the Marcos government this year. This Act only benefits the companies and agencies which exploit the workers, and further aggravates the rampant abuses in maritime recruitment and employment. The CSP firmly believes that through unified action, social education and grassroots organising worldwide, all seafarers and fisherfolk worldwide can stop their exploitation and seek justice.
Emma Martinez from the PCCS shared two ongoing campaigns raised by seafarers in the US. The first is the ‘Justice for AJ’ campaign, which exposes the inhumane treatment and blatant disrespect for seafarers and their families by shipping companies and government bodies. AJ Kent Maraña was a 29-year old Filipino seafarer employed by JJ Ugland, a Norwegian shipping company. On September 13th 2024, his body was found in the Columbia River near Cathlamet, Washington. His family received his body 46 days later, and still have not received any compensation from the company. The PCCS demands that the Philippine government investigate his death, and ensure justice, accountability and proper compensation are met. Organisations such as Bayan Oregon have held vigils and are helping to continue the Justice for AJ campaign.
The second campaign is the ‘Justice for the United 6’ campaign. This campaign is led by Filipino fishermen who were trafficked and experienced wage theft, debt bondage and ship abandonment by their employers Pescadores International (Philippines) and McAdams Fish (US). Six of the fishermen are currently fighting the illegal practices of these companies and pressuring the Philippine government to provide adequate support for the trafficked fishermen. The fishermen are campaigning for adequate compensation and back wages for the victims, and preventative measures to ensure this does not continue to happen.
Muhamad Kafandi from Pejuang Suara Pelaut Indonesia (PSP Indonesia) began his presentation by outlining the activities conducted by PSP Indonesia. PSP Indonesia is a local organization that works to protect the rights of Indonesian migrant crew members on Asian-flagged vessels. Currently, their efforts include first highlighting the vulnerable conditions of crew members, where they are often isolated from information, distant from manning agencies, facing overlapping regulations in Indonesia, and possessing weak competencies. The second focus is on what needs to be done, which includes integrating crew member services, minimizing the costs of competency enhancement, categorizing and marking vessels that have previously violated crew rights, and distributing information about regulations from both the host and sending countries. Kafandi also explained that many crew members experience physical and verbal abuse while working. This motivates PSP Indonesia to advocate for them and to publish a pocket guide for crew members, enabling them to understand their rights. Crew members also collaborate with other organizations to assist their peers in the field. PSP Indonesia hopes for:
legal actions against manning agencies that commit violations, such as human trafficking, to be enforced rigorously;
an increase in transparency systems, and;
the development of alternative livelihoods for the seafarers.
Achmad Mudzakir from the Forum Silaturahmi Pelaut Indonesia (FOSPI) mentioned that FOSPI was established in 2007, inspired by Indonesian seafarers placed in Taiwan. FOSPI has around 2,000 members and has been involved in government meetings when regulations are being decided. The issues faced by FOSPI members include salary rights, forced deportation, long working hours, and more. Long-distance sailors often lack communication access with their families and do not receive adequate medical treatment in case of work accidents. Many were forcibly deported during the pandemic, and face unilateral termination by employers. Therefore, FOSPI provides advocacy and support for crew members, assisting them in mediation with agents and employers, and educating them about their salary rights.
Regarding campaigns, Achmad mentioned that together with other organizations from Taiwan and the UK, FOSPI formed a coalition to campaign for the provision of Wi-Fi on ships. This is aimed at ensuring seafarers can maintain communication with their families, agencies, and employers while at sea, thereby minimizing violations on board. FOSPI stands with seafarers to advocate for their rights and welfare. Achmad expressed that FOSPI is involved in discussions about increasing sailors' wages in collaboration with several Taiwanese NGOs, where salaries would be adjusted according to ILO C188. However, as of the end of this year, there has been no good news, and the wage standard for seafarers remains at USD 550.
This was the first online forum organised by the Seafarers Working Group of the IMA. IMA Executive Committee member Terry Valen closed the session with a call for seafarers and fisherfolk to form grassroots organisations and unions and join IMA’s Seafarers Working Group to strengthen their voices through united campaigns. Supporting organisations were also encouraged to show their solidarity by joining and promoting the IMA Seafarers Working Group’s campaigns and actions.
