Indonesian seamen go without protection<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): More than one thousand Indonesian sailors are
\ncurrently working on foreign owned ships without the benefit of
\nworking agreements that would protect them from occupational
\ncomplications that might arise.<\/p>\n
The Secretary-General of the Indonesian Sailors Association,
\nH. Djabaringin Harahap, said yesterday that the absence of a
\ncommon agreement between the sailors and the shipping company
\ncreates difficulties for the sailors should they encounter any
\ncontractual disputes or other problems.<\/p>\n
\"In these situations the association finds it difficult to
\nresolve the sailors problems,\" he told Antara.<\/p>\n
He added that in such situations the association has no
\nknowledge of the location of the sailors since they did report
\ntheir departures abroad.<\/p>\n
Harahap explained that when sailors work under an agreement,
\nthese problems have easy solutions because everything has already
\nbeen arranged upon beforehand.<\/p>\n
In efforts to secure the welfare of the sailors, the
\nassociation has made 112 agreements with foreign shipping lines,
\namong them the Dutch owned Ned Lloyd.<\/p>\n
Despite the many agreements with foreign shipping lines, the
\nassociation has less than 10 domestic arrangements among the
\nhundreds of companies existing in the country.<\/p>\n
When asked the reason why so many domestic shipping lines
\nworked without an arrangement, Harahap was speechless and merely
\nsmiled at the question.<\/p>\n
He only said that working arrangements for sailors can be made
\nat any harbor administrator's office where the sailor first
\nboards the ship.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the obstacles in a seamen's agreement, Harahap
\npointed to the ineffectiveness of Indonesia's commercial laws.<\/p>\n
\"Unfortunately the law does not specify the rights and
\nobligations of both parties,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The seamen's agreement and arrangement is subject to Book II
\nof the Indonesia's Commercial Law.<\/p>\n
To alter this handicap, the association has given handed their
\nrecommendations to the Ministry of Transportation.<\/p>\n
Harahap expressed his confidence that should the association's
\nproposals be put into law, the condition of sailors on commercial
\nships would be satisfactorily established. (07)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesian-seamen-go-without-protection-1447898607",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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