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.

Guideposts for Maritime Industry Development

Some maritime industry leaders think that they can stay apolitical and keep their hands free from problems of the most important transport sector in the country. Little do they realize that their deadma attitude to political issues cannot help spare the industry from the mess that the country had been thrown into for so long. 

Since when has insensitivity or ignorance paid off? It may be true at times that what you don’t know won’t hurt you, but certainly what you don’t do about you already know is something else. Some people may pretend to be ignorant or confused so as not to make a move, others claim they don’t care because they don’t come from that scene of a problem incident. But we already know that that kind of practice is what worsens our situation.

Others say they are doing something that is within their means. Who really cares about these things in the maritime industry? Mind you, we are not looking for martyrs or heroes for the industry — only men and women who consistently think and do what is proper and necessary, though not necessarily popular.

The industry’s dollar-earning section thinks its forex earnings are enough testimony to economic patriotism. The bottomline of this specific claim is that what we have is simply all about money. 

If all our problems were simply all about dollars and cents, we would have solved the rut we have been for so many years a long time ago. Some ask where had all that money from OFWs gone, do we love this country less because we decided to work elsewhere, and what has this country done for us anyway to deserve all that OFWs have worked for? 

Money is important, no doubt. Question is, how do we make money benefit our own people so that others are not tempted to steal from or kill those who have money?

The silent majority of the maritime labor force too are having free lunches on the democratic seafarers’ reform movement. Not a few among them think that only those patapon or who have nothing better to do are the ones taking time and risk to fight for the improvement of all. Worse, they suspect that the fighters in the industry benefit financially from helping in correcting the ills of the maritime industry.

But those who had been lucky to enjoy the gains of maritime reform movement think foolishly that changes, if any, are God-willed and bound to come whether anyone makes a move or not. And those who actively pursue self-interest believe they deserve to be paid back for all their troubles. Both these attitudes have no place in a community of honest men. Like rust and corrosion, they inspire selfish ambition and unworthy reward. 

Everyone’s selfish, blind and doubtful subversion of the maritime development imperatives is a criminal conspiracy continuing national and social underdevelopment. 

How can those who have yet to be punished for mismanaging the state plan on maritime development, hypnotize generations of poor boys into believing that work at sea awaits everyone, allow each profit-hungry school owner to offer substandard training (or none at all), turn a blind a eye to all the illegal acts in connection with job application, wages, rights and benefit enjoyment, while the shipping industry sinks to the sea bottom despite free-for-all competition?

Or even allow every vested interest in all government regulatory agencies to battle over territory and money, being deaf to the long time call for the rationalization of the maritime sector?

The efforts of some people to participate in government affairs, however, reflect the attempts to monopolize power and authority in a supposedly democratic Philippines. Asia’s showcase of democracy is today’s “sick old man,” “sleeping dog lying on its side,” and its “heroes” are today the proofs that we can succeed in our failures and mistakes as a country and as a people.

Elite decision-making and elitist ways of public personages can only encourage not only the departure of people but also the exodus of hope. We can only succeed if there is a consistent and continuous supply of great feelings of unity and agreement in our purpose and mission. Our divided country and people will never be able to meet all complex challenges and we can only consign ourselves, including our hopes, to wishes of the stars and the moon.

Political and maritime affairs go hand in hand. If public sentiment adds to the instabilities now reigning in our midst are directed at the presidency and its entourage, then it would be very hard to see how we can go from here to there. Maritime affairs are social and state affairs. If the state is paralyzed such that its preoccupation with survival takes most its time, we can rest assured that things indeed will get worse before they get better.

Time is of the essence. A precious good such as time though comes and goes, is wasted and becomes useless in giving us any rest from the tidal wave of problems that threaten everyone, either at home or abroad. 
At the rate that we had already lost half a century in trying to replace our imports with locally produced items for the world market, exporting skilled and unskilled manpower, even participating in call center capitalism, and liberalizing almost every aspect of the economy, we wonder why the majority of Filipinos remain or feel they are poor. And that the urban middle classes think there is a chance EDSA-style uprisings are here to stay.

We have to agree on what can be done if the rules of the game must be respected at all. If the formal procedures seem doubtful in aiding redress of grievance, there should be no obstacle to any social agreement. Our educated and well-meaning practices had already shown us this in the past.  Our historical conflicts need not be passed onto the next generations. We can do our share in paving the way for harmonizing where we have heretofore simply chosen to work each other’s way, unmindful of the consequences to others and the future.

An equitable and sustained program of dialog and cooperation must be promoted and sustained by all stakeholders for the common good.

It is an elementary act of personhood and citizenship. We better our character to deserve the relationships and friendships that we desire. We fulfill kind acts of responsibility to build the nation we have always wanted to have. There is simply no other way. 

You can now join or start any discussion on seafarer's issues anytime or anywhere you are with