Mizzima News

New Delhi (Mizzima) - Twenty three Burmese sailors on board a Liberian-flagged ship, Annapurna, suddenly found themselves unemployed and stranded at a port in Auckland, New Zealand, after creditors seized the ship, when the owners, Eastwind, declared bankruptcy.

Even as some of them are yet to receive a year’s pay and while many of them have been deprived of three to four months’ of pay, the Burmese sailors, are desperately waiting for their remuneration.

“There have been several occasions, where owners of the ships or companies try not to pay their sailors their due payments,” Garry Parsloe, National Vice-President of the Maritime Union Auckland Seafarers Branch said.

Parsloe, who also represents the International Transport Workers Federation (ITWF), told Mizzima on Tuesday, that he had been in negotiation with the ship’s agents so that the Burmese sailors receive their rightful remuneration.

“We had discussed with the agents about the plight of the sailors and the agents had given us positive signals that they would consider the wages of the sailors as a priority, once the ship was sold,” Parsloe said.

He also said, the agents had supplied provisions for the sailors, including telephones, so as to allow the sailors to communicate with their families.  Parsloe said, sailors including Burmese were not so often lucky. There were often problems with "flag of convenience" ships and the treatment of their crew around the world. Often the crew ends up not getting their wages and stranded and jobless.

“We have asked the Burmese sailors to remain on the ship until they get paid,” he added.

However, for the 23 Burmese sailors, Parsloe said his organization was working to ensure that the sailors get their wages and fly back home or continue to stay and look for re-employment, as per their choice.