As Nautilus International continues its fight to recover wages owed to members working onboard the superyacht Indian Empress and sister vessel Force India, the Union has issued a call to socially responsible yacht managers, crewing agents and training providers to work with it to prevent such situations from developing in future.
'Whilst Nautilus does not relish taking such visible action to recoup vast amounts of wages owed to our members, we are proud to assist our members on these vessels so effectively and proud to continue to support them as we take further steps to enforce their rights,' said strategic organiser Danny McGowan.
'As the owner and the manager of Indian Empress and Force India did not have a relationship with Nautilus in this case, there was no line of clear communication to be able to resolve the situation before it escalated in such a way,' he pointed out.
Mr McGowan said some members facing issues onboard other superyachts have reported that senior officers and even shore managers (DPAs) have used unhelpful rhetoric when speaking to seafarers trying to resolve problems – sometimes even vaguely threatening Union members not to approach their internationally-recognised representatives.
'Where these reports have been challenged by the Union, they have been denied,' he added. 'However, Nautilus is aware that many members can feel afraid of repercussions if they have approached the Union for assistance.
'In issuing this call, Nautilus seeks to reassure those areas of the superyacht industry that have not yet formed a strategic partnership with the Union that there is no need for such rhetoric to be used,' he pointed out.
'It is not right that seafarers already facing an issue at work should feel threatened against speaking to their Union. This kind of rhetoric is unnecessary and only serves to escalate matters.
'Nautilus has a long history of working together with different types of organisations and we call upon those we have contacted to respond and work with us. Nautilus is not here to disrupt the superyacht industry – in fact we want to see it booming as much as anyone else and would love to work with like-minded organisations to achieve success. That success, however, should not be at the expense of the seafarers, without whom there would be no industry at all.'
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