A WEB page enabling workers to gain rapid access to essential information about their health and safety rights and responsibilities has been set up by the Health and Safety Executive.

The "workers’ webpage" http://www.hse.gov.uk/ workers
- covers the roles and responsibilities of employers and employees, as well as issues such as ‘whistle-blowing’ and reporting accidents.

 

Cooking ICs, mixing knobs 
the Panamanian-MTC way

PANAMA is at it again! This time, with the debilitating (to the Pinoy seafarers) backing of the Maritime Training Council (MTC).

Unholy of holy cows, only the government of Panama, through its Panama Maritime Authority (PMA), seems to be able of putting one up against the STCW with its own standard of assessment for ratings – bosuns, fitters, oilers, ABs, wipers, ordinary seamen and messmen. In doing so, it was able to legitimize its going around the STCW Convention with the too-willing participation of MTC, through an agreement.

Citing the broadly-crafted Section 6 under Regulation I/10 of STCW Convention (last section provisions like the one cited by PMA generally cover those not specified in preceding sections and are presented in the widest latitude possible), Panama took upon itself to make its own assessment of ratings boarding Panamanian-flagged vessels.

It would have been fine – for increased safety awareness and capability of the ratings – had it not been for overextended authority. Remember: Panama is a signatory to the STCW Convention. By simple deduction, it would already be unnecessary to prescribe standards superseding the STCW Convention. 

But what takes the cake over this added imposition by Panama, with the help of MTC, is that it is only required of Filipino seafarers boarding Panamanian vessels. Considering the number of Pinoy seafarers onboard Panamanian-flagged vessels, that would run to tens of thousands, the fees collected from this arrangement would easily run to millions of pesos an amount which is not paltry by any standard and could be considered “manna from heaven” in these times of difficulty.

The amount involved (P2,900 per assessment!) and the extremely limited accreditation – only two training agencies were accredited by PMA – give suspicion a valid ground. Moreover, the capability, plus the facilities, of one of the accredited training centers given authority to assess comes to question against other better-qualified and better-equipped training centers.

Pointedly, MARITAS or Maritime Technological and Allied Services, Inc., one of the two accredited training centers authorized to conduct assessment, has no proven expertise in the areas of assessment required. MARITAS, as we in the maritime industry all know, is basically known for training courses for deck officers and radio operators. Will they be cooking ICs and radio knobs to validate their assessment capability in the culinary arts?

It is extremely disappointing and excruciatingly cumbersome that this Panamanian assessment, in partnership with two training centers and in “collusion” with MTC, leaves a very bad taste in the mouth. The assessment is nothing but criminal, exacting the very blood of hapless seafarers and reeking of flatulence coming from the emission of fatsos at PMA and MTC who are overindulging themselves with their loot.

Can’t we at least have our government, through Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople and, perhaps, Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas (she’s the signatory to the agreement with PMA), act decisively in favor of Pinoy seafarers on this issue? 
Make PMA and MTC eat their latest fare of menudong ICs and adobong radio knobs. That way, we will not be suffering from the foul emissions of fat cows sucking Pinoy seafarers blood.
 

Where have all the money gone?

THERE’S NO STOPPING anyone when it comes to making easy money. Like the people of the now-bankrupt manning company, El Victor Shipping (Philippines) Inc., who collected contributions from their crew as membership dues to their in-house multi-purpose cooperative.    

When El Victor started operations in the eighties, it was one of the brightest and most dynamic manning companies that in no time it was supplying officers and ratings to at least 150 vessels plying the world’s ocean highways. But the company’s growth-oriented goals got parlayed by questionable transactions, one of which involved the infamous El Victor Multi-Purpose Cooperative or EVMPC. 

The scheme is simple. All seafarers deployed are obliged to join EVMPC. Being members, they are issued ID cards and promised privileges and conveniences that normally accrue to membership of such organization, like personal and housing loans. The catch is: Every month, a fixed amount of P500 is deducted from their salaries.

Now, not all of the members were able to avail of the privileges. Thus, when the company closed operations, they demanded a refund of their contributions. Although some have reportedly been refunded, with deductions, of course, a majority of the thousands of officers and ratings that contributed the regular P500 monthly for years, averaging at least five years, were given the cold shoulder treatment and “passing-the-buck” response.

On a conservative estimate, the sum would easily sum to millions of pesos. Those who failed to get a refund are asking: Where have all the our money gone?

A labyrinthine trail presents itself to the claimants who are also given the run-around, from one manning company to the other where the ships of El Victor have sought crewing arrangements.