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.

The Filipino nation celebrates with the whole world this month in honoring and recognizing the most valiant among our unsung heroes—the Seafarers.

The National Maritime Week is officially celebrated on the last  week of September every year to pay tribute to every man and woman in the industry, both sea-based and land-based who have contributed  enormously in anchoring our economy to stability.

The first ever celebration of this kind was officially declared by then president Fidel V. Ramos on Sept. 27, 1996 which fell on a Friday.

The National Maritime Day also known as Proclamation No.866 underscored two most important concerns eight years ago. First, according to Pres. Ramos, is the fact that Filipinos are seafarers by nature since our geography is basically to the sea, not mentioning that our great ancestors “trailblazed” the seas to set their rightful place in the sun.

Second the maritime capabilities of the country is  huge and promising, and if  given proper importance or handling, the country can become a tiger in the whole of Asia.
FULL STORY >> 

GLOBALIZATION AND MARITIME SOCIAL RELATIONS
By ROLI TALAMPAS

The global division of maritime labor is thereby a function of the ability of nationality-bound workers to absorb the rate-discounting and labor-flexibilizing/ wage/age-cum-nationality undercutting advantages from shipping competition in order to reproduce steady wage labor-capital relations on a global scale. Rapid aging of bottoms given new technologies is perhaps also catalyzed by rapid displacement of fifty-year old workers by younger recruits, mostly from the developing world (see Lloyds 2000;  As cost and distance are minimized in proportion to the total cost of trading transaction, the GDML perpetrates or evolves a system of unequal exchange both in relative and absolute terms between shipowning/operating entities and labor-supplying countries.

That this is all well understood and consensually prioritized by societies in the maritime realm could be hypothetically related with both their willingness and benefit from undertaking globalist initiatives. The GDML could necessarily be a social division of scaled responsibilties drawn from tradition and new market demands.

Wide Oceans, Narrow Passages. Space at the narrow maritime passages are constricted, not compressed, and time seeking to “annihiliate space” for the speedy turnover and circulation of capital, as in Marx, grinds to a slow and treacherous motion. Here, especially at the Suez and Panama Canals, and the Straits of Malacca and Gibraltar, the proponents and protectors of cross-oceanic trade come to their senses and lay the blame on traffic volume, criminal activity, state ‘underinvestment’ in port improvements and the weaknesses of regime to effectively govern these passages. At the Strait of Malacca  (cf. Raja Kamaruzaman  n.d.) and surrounding waters, for instance, international norms are complained to be uncomplied with by some countries, while territorial jurisdictions remain unclear and travel safety unguaranteed (Pacom, 2002: 18-19). Elsewhere, small ports feeding from the trade hub have yet to ride on the globalization express (Notteboom, 2002; Slack,  1993) and find men overboard (Stratton, n.d.) with containerization and other capital-intensive technologies.
FULL STORY  >>

9th NATIONAL SEAFARERS’ DAY CELEBRATION
“Filipino Seafarer: Aim High, Reach Higher”

On Sunday, September 26, 2004, our Country will hold the 9th national Seafarers’ Day Celebration. The initiative was inspired by the outstanding status of our Filipino seafarers in the international maritime industry on account of their presence (25% of all seafarers world-wide), professional service, trustworthy fulfillment of their role and for their great economic contribution to our country. The response of the various sectors to this yearly event grew every year together with a more conscious awareness of the importance, contribution and international role attached to this profession.

The Apostleship of the Sea (AOS), which has been mandated by the government to spearhead the organization of the event since its inception in 1995, has the cooperation of all government and private agencies in the maritime education and employment sectors.

The chosen theme for this year celebration is: “Filipino Seafarer: Aim High, Reach Higher!”
FULL STORY >>

Cost of relocating North Harbor squatters jumps to P10B

THE cost of relocating squatters at the North Harbor has jumped to P10 billion from P6 billion three years ago, according to the Philippine Ports Authority.

This has lead PPA general manager Alfonso Cusi to consider reclaiming land to expand the harbor rather deal with the expense of relocating of the informal settlers.

Three years ago, when the plan to modernize the North Harbor was first considered, the number of squatter families at the port ranged from as low as 5,000 families to as high as 35,000.

The presence of the informal settlers also makes it difficult for the North Harbor to get ISPS certification.

North Harbor, according to the Office of Transportation Security, has a slim chance of getting a security clearance within six months because of this problem.

The squatters are a big security risk for the harbor.

The PPA has been trying to decongest the North Harbor of all irrelevant structures to pave the way to its must needed rehabilitation and modernization in preparation for its planned privatization.

However, former PPA general manager Alfonso Cusi was hesitant to spend the amount  for these structures arguing that it is much more cheaper to expand seaward than deal with the current problem.
FULL STORY  >>

You can now join or start any discussion on seafarer's issues anytime or anywhere you are with
Usapang Marino
(Seafarer's Forum)
at URL: http://www.ufs.ph/phpBB2