The Wire

Fresh from their induction into the pop culture hall of fame via ABC TV mini series Bastard Boys, the Maritime Union of Australia MUA is now bartering a global agreement ship workers. Today, the union sat down with ship owners representing half the worlds’ fleet of flag of convenience ships in order to hammer out a global collective bargaining agreement for seafarers. Their aim is to lift working conditions and wages. The rules governing the world’s fleet of commercial vessels allow companies to register ships in the country or domicile of their choice. But unions argue this leads to seafarers working under poor rates of pay and even poorer working conditions. An estimated 55,000 seafarers work for flag of convenience ships. The MUA’s national secretary Paddy Crumlin outlined what percentage of the world’s seafarers are tied to the flag of convenience system.