Seafarers will have a strengthened right to refuse transit in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden after a decision by the International Bargaining Forum.
The IBF, which is made up of the International Transport Workers’ Federation and the employers’ Joint Negotiating Group, granted seafarers who refuse to sail into the area the right to repatriation at their company’s expense and two months of wages.
Houthis in Yemen continue to mount attacks on shipping in the region.
“The decision to include seafarers’ right to refuse to sail was not a step taken lightly as this could negatively impact global trade, but the safety of the seafarers is paramount,” the IBF member groups said.
Seafarers who are transferred to another vessel within a company’s fleet, at the same rank and pay, will not be entitled to the two months’ compensation.
The mariners must give notice seven days before their ship enters the high-risk area.
The IBF committee’s decision also expanded the area designated as high risk to include the Gulf of Aden, as the reach of Houthi attacks has extended and Somali piracy has also resurfaced.
“Regardless of what is agreed between the social partners, the safety and security of seafarers is a global responsibility that requires global solutions,” the union and employers’ group said.
“Therefore, the IBF WOAC [Warlike Operations Area Committee] urges the international community to collaborate with local governments in the area to support international shipping and to ensure the safety of seafarers so that vessels can transit free from threat and aggression, as is their right under international law.”
