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DOLE junks Norwegian petition
vs training centers
The Department of Labor and Employment has dismissed for
lack of merit the petition of the Norwegian Maritime Directorate banning
Filipino seamen coming from two local maritime training institutions.
Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas said the complaint
filed with them by the NMD against the Admiral Training Institute of the
Philippines (AMTIP) and the Maritime Training Center of the Philippines
(MTCP) cannot be pursued for lack of concrete evidence.
Sto. Tomas ruled the NMD cannot withdraw for lack of merit
its directive withdrawing the recognition of training certificates issued
by the two local training institutions over allegations that they were
issuing fraudulent certificates.
On 2001, the Philippines and Norway signed an agreement
for the recognition of each other’s seafarers certificates.
Norway is the country’s largest employer for overseas
water-based workers. Over 25 percent of all those working in Norwegian
vessels are Filipinos.
Norway banned Filipino seamen from their vessels starting
Jan. 2, 2002 accusing the AMTIP and MACP of issuing certificates to seamen
under questionable circumstances, allowing ill-trained seamen to get the
certificates.
The two Manila-based training centers, two of the largest
state accredited institutions in the Philippines, have denied issuing any
fraudulent certificates.
The NMD’s decision came after receiving reports from Norwegian
masters and ship owners over the lack of competency of officers and ratings
in possession of the training certificates coming from them.
Sto. Tomas pointed out that such action went against the
agreed procedures contained in the RP-Norway Undertaking on the recognition
of certificates.
She said the NMD should treat the incident as an isolated
case stressing that the report created a negative effect on the standing
of Filipino seamen as a whole.
The matter threatens to strain relations between the two
countries, after Filipino officials took exception by a Norwegian decision
to embargo the two institutes and claimed that the action was taken “without
any explanation”. (Source: People’s Journal Tonight) |
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CHAMPIONING THE SEAFARERS
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DOLE junks Norwegian petition
vs training centers
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Convention
Int’l Maritime English Confab
held in Manila
Contribute your ideas online!
Express your opinion!
You can now
any discussion on seafarer's issues anytime or anywhere you are with
Usapang
Marino
(Seafarer's
Forum)
at URL: http://www.ufs.ph/phpBB2
Need a break?
Participate in seafarer’s
sports while in Rotterdam and Antwerp?
ISS/ICSW, in cooperation
with Friends of UFS in Rotterdam, has initiated a host of sports activities
for seafarers calling ports in Rotterdam and Antwerp. For more information,
contact Jorg Pfautsch, telephone number 0032-478-292469, or UFS-Rotterdam
at 010-4668300. |
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