Union claims Welfare Fund is ‘transparent and accountable’

International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) secretary general Steve Cotton insists its Welfare Fund is fully transparent and the large amount of money it generates is being used to protect the interests of seafarers.

Cotton says ITF inspectors have been involved in 29,000 ship inspections and 6,396 disputes, which recovered $135m in back pay and unpaid wages for seafarers over a three-year period between 2014 and 2016.

This year, it has intervened in 36 abandonment cases, involving 400 seafarers.

The ITF also funds legal action taken by seafarers against owners in wage and abandonment cases.

Cotton points out that the ITF played a critical role in the development of the 2006 Maritime Labour Convention and is working closely with the International Maritime Organization on issues such as the fair treatment of seafarers.

It also makes donations to the International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance Network, which offers a dedicated 24-hour helpline to seafarers.

A proportion of the money paid into the Welfare Fund can also be claimed back by members of the International Bargaining Forum (IBF) and used for the seafarer welfare projects. About $3m was claimed back by the IBF in 2015.

Other projects include funding seafarer centres and facilities around the globe.

Cotton tells TradeWinds that he is also interested in expanding the work of the Seafarers' Trust, which has received large donations from the Welfare Fund.

He says the 2014 appointment of Teekay Shipping founder Torben Karlshoej’s daughter Kimberly to head the Seafarers' Trust had been an attempt at widening its governance. She left the trust this year.

Cotton says the Welfare Fund is fully transparent and is “open to ideas” from shipowners, managers and seafarers' charities on how its money could be better used to benefit seafarers.

The contribution made to the Welfare Fund by owners is already on the negotiating table in ongoing IBF talks, he adds.

Cotton is also working on expanding income from the ITF's General Fund, which accounts for the union's work in other logistics sectors outside of shipping.