Seafarers who have their stay onboard ships extended as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic would receive wages due to them for the extra days, the National Seafarers Welfare Board (NSWB) Nigeria, has said.
Kunle Folarin, chairman of NSWB stated this recently while responding to the fears expressed by some Nigerian seafarers on Maritime Television’s premium show tagged Live Conversations.
During the virtual meeting, Folarin expressed the readiness of the Board to provide assistance to Nigerian seafarers facing any kind of difficulties at this time, adding that seafarers who toil to keep the economic balance deserve their pay.
Where employers attempt to short-change seafarers, he urged victims of such ill treatment to log complaints with regulatory bodies and ensure that such matters are dealt with decisively.
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He explained that seafarers have the right to escalate such issues even with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) when they are not handled properly.
The NSWB chairman who also referred to seafarers as the engine that propels international trade, said they deserve support through a collective bargaining agreement as Nigerian seafarers should receive remuneration comparable with their counterparts all over the world.
He disclosed that a tripartite agreement on seafarers’ welfare in which government represented by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) representing seafarers and shipowners was reached in 2019 and signed by the parties.
On how the travel ban has weighed on crew changes, Folarin who said that the shut airports and land borders have adversely affected the repatriation of seafarers stated that shore passes are no longer issued by the Nigerian Immigration Service so as to protect seafarers from contracting COVID-19 by coming ashore.
He assured seafarers that in extreme matters like health crises, and upon the recommendation of the Port Health, evacuation of anyone with a delicate case can be arranged.
It would be recalled that the ILO recently, in a white paper called on governments to treat seafarers respectfully and to allow crew changes and travels for seafarers.
