Seafarers Union Wants Maritime Wages Council Gazetted
By The COAST Team
Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com
The seafarers Union of Kenya (SUK) has called on the government to gazette the Maritime Wages Council (MWC).
The move, according to the union, will mark a step towards better employment conditions for Kenyan seafarers who have continued to be exploited and suffer under rogue employers.
SUK secretary general Atie Swaleh Ramadan alleges that the merchant mariners have been underpaying and abandoning seafarers aboard vessels at will.
“We are asking the government to gazette the council. The ministry is taking long to effect this as our members continue to suffer under deplorable employments.”
According to her the move to develop new laws and regulations to govern the sector are meant to ensure better working conditions for more than 7,000 merchant mariners throughout the globe.
Presiding over the function on September 1, 2024 at SUK’s new office in Mombasa, the Central Organization Trade Union (COTU) secretary general Francis Atwoli pledged to make a followup of the matter with the Ministry of Labour to ensure all pending wages’ councils were effected immediately.
“We have talked to the ministry and the minister has promised to effect the wages council. This will ensure they are all gazetted so that they can effect the 60 per cent increment which was announced by President William Ruto,” he said.
The Cotu boss asked the union members to stop squabbles and shelve their differences so that they could work as team to not only fight for their rights, but also advance their interests locally, nationally and globally.
“I ask you to work together, because you all serve a com interest, the current office is focused and it will derail you back when you start bringing chaos.”
