Save Australian Shipping

The International Transport Workers’ Federation has inspected the Bahamas-registered Flag-of-Convenience vessel Diana in Melbourne and found the company is vastly underpaying Filipino seafarers who are effectively operating full time on the Australian coast.

Under coastal trading rules introduced in 2012, foreign crew must be paid award rates as the vessel is working more than 2 domestic voyages in Australian waters but today’s inspection shows that seafarers are only receiving low FOC wages.

The Diana is owned by an Australian company Canadian Shipping Lines Australia (CSL).

CSL has recently increased the use of foreign seafarers in coastal trades replacing Australian crew to undermine employment conditions and jobs on Australia’s coastal shipping routes.

“Under Australian legislation all foreign workers must be paid award rates while operating in the local trade,” ITF Australia Coordinator Dean Summers said.

“ITF Australia, acting on a tip off, has today exposed more rorts against Filipino seafarers working in Australia for CSL.

“The ITF has contacted the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) to investigate further but we are yet to receive a response.

“These are vulnerable foreign workers used by an Australian company to replace Australian national seafarers working exclusively in the Australian trade.”

CSL Australia has so far refused to sign an industrial agreement setting out international minimum standards on its fleet of deregulated Flag-Of-Convenience vessels, Acacia, Adelie and Diana.

“The ITF demands the government investigates these clear breaches of our trading laws immediately and prosecute the perpetrators,” Summers said.