The Australian Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman has received a formal complaint from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) over a Hong Kong registered bulk ship working on the Australian coast since December last year without a Temporary Licence.
During an ITF inspection, the master of the bulker Shanghai Spirit revealed that he “had no idea what a Temporary Licence was” .
ITF inspectors boarded the ship at its berth in Port Kembla, and suspect conditions of the contentious Coastal Trading Licences have not been paid.
ITF National Coordinator, Dean Summers, said the ITF is also calculating a big back pay for Chinese seafarers on a sister ship in Melbourne, Asia Pearl 6, which is expected to reach USD 100,000.
Additionally, Summers said that “a third ugly sister of the fleet Asia Spirit – involved in the vicious Alcoa coastal dispute – has refused access to the ITF in Portland .”
“The refusal to allow ITF inspectors on board the Portland’s replacement FOC ship is an admission of guilt.”
“This is a perfect track record for Alcoa after the Strategic Alliance corruption investigation by the AFP and the Greenery Seas underpayment of wages,” Summers said.
Alcoa moved last month to replace Australian seafarers on the Australian registered bulk carrier CSL Melbourne and use government issued temporary licenses to charter cheaper foreign ships into the Australian domestic trade.