The first round of IBF negotiations: the Parties exchange their claims

On 27 January 2017 in the Headquarters of the International Transport Workers Federation (London) the first round of the IBF (International Bargaining Forum) negotiations between the ITF representatives and the Joint Negotiating Group (JNG). The SUR was represented in the ITF delegation by its President Yury Sukhorukov and Vice President Vadim Ivanov.

The meeting took place in the context of the ongoing economic downturn, and this was reflected in the shipowners’ claims. Regretfully, the close working relationship between the shipowners and the ITF during the last few rounds of negotiations deteriorated and became less productive. The discord was caused by persistence shown in the last year by the ITF which prevented the shipowners to postpone the agreed increase of seafarers’ wages by 3,5% since January 2017.

Actually, in 2014 at the IBF negotiations it was agreed that seafarers’ wages should be increased by 6,5% within three years, stepwise. The most significant growth (3,5%) was supposed to happen in 2017. It was the postponement of this increase that the shipowners requested for in Manila (Philippines) in November 2016; however, they were refused.

Last week the Parties exchanged their lists of claims and suggestions for the oncoming agreement period. By the way, they still have to agree the period of the agreement.

“This was just the first round of the negotiations which will go on till July 2017, so it is not yet time to talk about the results of the negotiations in whole”, said Vadim Ivanov. The trade unions and the employers exchanged claims for amending the Collective Agreement; also, they managed to set up committees and working groups for agreeing specific issues, and for now that’s it”.

It’s obvious that the situation remains rather difficult. The Parties try to impose to each other a number of principal claims, and neither party would yield. Naturally, this is reflected in the tone of the negotiations. The SUR has a hard stance in this matter: when an agreement is signed, its terms and conditions shall be carried out, and that’s all.

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The International Bargaining Forum (IBF) was established in 2003 as the mechanism by which maritime employers, represented by the Joint Negotiating Group (JNG), and seafarers’ unions, represented by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) could negotiate over the wages and conditions of employment of seafarers serving on ships to which the corresponding Collective Agreements apply.

The JNG consists of IMEC (International Maritime Employers’ Council) and International Shipping Employers’ Group (ISEG) (the International Maritime Managers’ Association of Japan (IMMAJ), the Korean Shipowners Association (KSA) and the Taiwanese company Evergreen, and allows for the coordination of the views of employers from across the world.

IMEC also coordinates the application of IBF agreements on behalf of its members through local negotiations.