Remarkable deal sealed on pay and cargo-securing

MANY seafarers sailing on open-register ships will receive a salary increase of 2.5 per cent from Jan 1, 2019. This will probably be seen as the key outcome of lengthy negotiations to create a new International Bargaining Forum (IBF) Framework Agreement.

Global seafarers' union group International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) and ship operators' Joint Negotiating Group (JNG) met in Manila last week for a final round of negotiations and the results were announced a few days ago.

The IBF was formed in 2003 as a mechanism for collective bargaining between maritime employers and maritime unions over the wages and conditions of employment for seafarers serving on foreign-flag ships covered by ITF Special Agreements. IBF negotiations include both central negotiations and local negotiations, which enable development of core principles to be incorporated into specific local arrangements.