Working and Living Conditions Aboard Cruise Ship
By Andrew Mwangura
Approximatelly 8,000 Kenyan Seafarers currently work aboard cruise ships around the world.
Most cruise ship workers are at Sea for many months at a stretch,and only get a few hours on shore when the ship is in port.
Working aboard cruise ships is characterized by long working hours without offs for months; numerous and stringent rules; demanding guests; small living quarters; and little to no privacy.
Cruise ships crews are working harder, and for longer hours than ever before.
To make it worse, Seafarers Union of Kenya has not signed Agreement of Recognition with the Cruise Liners; furthermore, Kenyan crew members are hired on Employment Contracts but not Collective Bargaining Agreements.
Employment Contracts are standard agreements between the cruise line and the crew member detailing job roles, responsibilities, and terms of employment.
Collective Bargaining Agreement is essential for protecting the rights and interests of cruise ships crew members, ensuring they have a fair and supportive working-environment.
An agreement of recognition for cruise ship crew is important for several reasons:
1. Union Representation:
It formally acknowledges the union representing the crew, ensuring that employees have a collective voice in negotiations with management.
2. Collective Bargaining:
Recognition allows the union to engage in collective bargaining on behalf of the crew, leading to improved wages, benefits, and working conditions.
3. Worker Rights:
It helps protect the rights of crew members, providing a framework for addressing grievances and ensuring fair treatment.
4. Stability and Cooperation:
Recognition fosters a more cooperative relationship between management and the crew, reducing conflicts and promoting stability onboard.
5. Empowerment:
It empowers crew members by giving them a structured way to express their concerns and participate in decision-making processes.
Overall, an agreement of recognition is crucial for ensuring that cruise ship crew members have the representation and support they need in their employment.
Cruise Liners employing Kenyans includes MSC Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Apollo Group and Royal Caribbean Cruises.
Others are Princess Cruises, Vikings Cruises, and Seaborne Cruises.
Carnival Corporation and Plc, Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited,MSC Cruises SA, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd, and TUI AG,Gentity Bhd are the top 5 cruise companies in the world in 2021 by the number of passengers carried.
A total of 323 cruise ships are currently in operation globally.
There are 51 Ocean and 27 river cruise lines in the world.
Approximatelly 250,000 people currently work on cruise ships around the world.
The total number of the crew working on cruise ships is 223,914 currently on board the cruise ships worldwide. There are 186,595 plus 37,319 crew members on vacation waiting to join the vessels.
This analysis includes 90 percent of the world’s largest cruise companies and therefore the total number is around 250,000 crew members.
Royal Caribbean Cruises is the biggest employer with 33.602 crew, followed by Carnival Cruise Lines with 19,669 shipboard employees.
Carnival Corporation and Plc is by far the largest employer, with 10 cruise lines and combined fleet of over 100 vessels deployed worldwide.
In a span of seven years the government of Kenya has entered into recruitment and replacement deals with MSC Cruises,Celebrity Cruises, Apollo Group, Royal Caribbean Cruises, and the South Korea Shipowners Association among others.
There is an urgent need for the Government of Kenya to review all agreements on recruitment and replacement of Seafarers aboard cruise ships inked between the government of Kenya and the cruise liners.
There’s a need to formulate policy guidelines that will formulate and standardize the management of recruitment and replacement of Seafarers.
There’s also a need for the Seafarers Union of Kenya to enter into agreement of recognition as well Collective Bargai
