"Well, Thats the price you pay for being an Indian!" I said; and her immediate reaction was "What! But how can they do that to you!"
I was trying to explain to my British girlfriend just how uncertain my job was! Why I didn't know where I would be going, though I hoped I would be going in a couple of weeks time! I was trying to explain the circus an Indian seafarer goes through before he can land a job onboard a ship!
In the initial stage of his career, no one wants to employ him because he does not have any experience!
India has a institutionalized training system. It is run by educational institutions. Companies do not launch specialized training programs, so at the end of college you have a lot of young graduates with academic knowledge but no experience! With no company to back them during their training, they are left to their own means to find 'experience'. The cadets and junior engineers then resort to all sorts of options. It is common to find young graduates risking their lives on ships flying the FOC, working below ITF wages (in some cases working for free, just to get some experience letters!) trading in high risk areas like Somalia and Nigeria without any risk cover, to the extent of working at positions they are not even trained for! They are proud of the fact that at least they have been on a real ship; as compared to the other few who have forged records and obtained fake experience certificates!
The entire process of recruitment is so morale breaking that it sets the tone as to what is going to happen during the rest of a seafarers career!
The absence of quality Indian shipping companies means that most Indian seafarers work for management companies. There is no permanent employment. There is no standard wage scale for a particular rank in a company. On the day of employment it looks more like a fish market with employers and seafarers bargaining benefits and deductions! I know of a company where the Chief Officer was paid more than a Master; and where the company had deducted 0.8 USD for attesting a letter!
The fact that seafarers work contracts, means there is no PF, no Medical or Health cover. The fact that your employer is different from the ship owner on whose vessel you will be working; implies that there is little concern for seafarers welfare onboard the vessel. On the other hand, as the only means of performance evaluation by the employer is based on the report of the senior; the juniors are more concerned about pleasing their bosses above everything else!
The lack of proper training, the attitude and management practices of crewing agencies, the poor support from the government and seafarers unions, the lack of reforms in the Indian shipping industry have all led to the downfall of Indian seafarers. The recent case of an Indian officer who died onboard an Indian flag vessel shows how grossly complacent we are with the lives of seafarers. In countries like Singapore, even a dogs death in a road accident makes it to the news. Americans report and mourn the death of every single soldier who dies in Afghanistan or Iraq, The loss of 10 jobs due to lack of business makes it to the news papers in the UK... and the Indian media is silent when it comes to Indian seafarers being held hostage in Somalia; the Immigration authorities turn a blind eye when foreign seamen work on vessels in India flouting visa norms, DG Shipping directives of minimum manning!
If today I have decided to quit sailing, It is only because of these grievances. I still love the salty air; the sound of waves splashing against the hull on a clear moonlit night. I love the sea; and yet I have come to hate the discrimination that we face; because of our color, our nationality and our biased system.
It is indeed a high price we pay for being an Indian.
I was trying to explain to my British girlfriend just how uncertain my job was! Why I didn't know where I would be going, though I hoped I would be going in a couple of weeks time! I was trying to explain the circus an Indian seafarer goes through before he can land a job onboard a ship!
In the initial stage of his career, no one wants to employ him because he does not have any experience!
India has a institutionalized training system. It is run by educational institutions. Companies do not launch specialized training programs, so at the end of college you have a lot of young graduates with academic knowledge but no experience! With no company to back them during their training, they are left to their own means to find 'experience'. The cadets and junior engineers then resort to all sorts of options. It is common to find young graduates risking their lives on ships flying the FOC, working below ITF wages (in some cases working for free, just to get some experience letters!) trading in high risk areas like Somalia and Nigeria without any risk cover, to the extent of working at positions they are not even trained for! They are proud of the fact that at least they have been on a real ship; as compared to the other few who have forged records and obtained fake experience certificates!
The entire process of recruitment is so morale breaking that it sets the tone as to what is going to happen during the rest of a seafarers career!
The absence of quality Indian shipping companies means that most Indian seafarers work for management companies. There is no permanent employment. There is no standard wage scale for a particular rank in a company. On the day of employment it looks more like a fish market with employers and seafarers bargaining benefits and deductions! I know of a company where the Chief Officer was paid more than a Master; and where the company had deducted 0.8 USD for attesting a letter!
The fact that seafarers work contracts, means there is no PF, no Medical or Health cover. The fact that your employer is different from the ship owner on whose vessel you will be working; implies that there is little concern for seafarers welfare onboard the vessel. On the other hand, as the only means of performance evaluation by the employer is based on the report of the senior; the juniors are more concerned about pleasing their bosses above everything else!
The lack of proper training, the attitude and management practices of crewing agencies, the poor support from the government and seafarers unions, the lack of reforms in the Indian shipping industry have all led to the downfall of Indian seafarers. The recent case of an Indian officer who died onboard an Indian flag vessel shows how grossly complacent we are with the lives of seafarers. In countries like Singapore, even a dogs death in a road accident makes it to the news. Americans report and mourn the death of every single soldier who dies in Afghanistan or Iraq, The loss of 10 jobs due to lack of business makes it to the news papers in the UK... and the Indian media is silent when it comes to Indian seafarers being held hostage in Somalia; the Immigration authorities turn a blind eye when foreign seamen work on vessels in India flouting visa norms, DG Shipping directives of minimum manning!
If today I have decided to quit sailing, It is only because of these grievances. I still love the salty air; the sound of waves splashing against the hull on a clear moonlit night. I love the sea; and yet I have come to hate the discrimination that we face; because of our color, our nationality and our biased system.
It is indeed a high price we pay for being an Indian.
Well I guess the population in India is a major reason for treating Indians like dirt, not to forget the part, that people in India believe exploiting Indians is a right. Since no one can fight the system, people are left without a choice, because I am sure you will agree that the Indian Labor laws are so flimsy, that you cannot get any benefits from them. Completely agree with your blog, well said!!
ReplyDeleteTrue; Besides, what more can you expect when film actors have been made Ministers for Shipping in the past!
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