International Transport Workers Federation in Australia seize Alumina cargo at Newcastle dock over underpayment of Burmese crew

A cargo ship bringing alumina feedstock to Tomago Aluminium has been seized on the dock at Newcastle over alleged underpayment and other breaches of seafarers' minimum conditions by the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF).

Dean Summers, the head of the ITF in Australia, said: “The ship, the Unison Jasper, had been recently seized in Brisbane over underpayment but had been allowed to leave again after $93,000 in wages was paid to 11 Burmese crew.”

Mr Summers said: “More paperwork had come to light showing another $60,000 at least was still owed, and so the vessel had been detained at Kooragang Island, where it just had unloaded its cargo of alumina.”

"It won't be going anywhere until this is sorted.”

Matt Howell, CEO, Tomago Aluminium, said: “The company did not own or operate the ship or own its cargo.”

"We are appalled at the reports of the treatment of the seafarers involved and we are working with the relevant parties to solve the problems," Mr Howell said.

“He said the seamen deserved to be treated with dignity but the issues raised were a matter for the vessel charterer".

Tomago Aluminium is regarded as a tolling plant, in which each of the company's three shareholders - Rio Tinto, CSR and Norwegian aluminium company Hydro - are responsible for their cargoes.

It is understood that vessels such as the Unison Jasper are tendered by the individual shareholders, rather than Tomago Aluminium.

However, it has remained unclear as of yet whether this happens with individual cargoes or whether the accounts are divided up later on paper, but as the ship came from Gladstone, where Rio Tinto owns one of the city's two refineries that produce alumina from the raw material, bauxite.

Mr Summers said: “The vessel had been detained with the knowledge of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and the Australian Border Force.”

The ship had 11 Burmese crew and 9 Chinese officers. As per the COVID-19 restrictions, crews of cargo ships were generally unable to leave the wharf wherever they tied up and the crew of the Unison Jasper were into their 15th month onboard the vessel without a break.

He added: “The ship was flagged out of Hong Kong with Taiwanese ownership and was regarded as a flag of convenience vessel because it was on an Australian coastal run rather than between countries.”

"This is a ship doing work that should be done by Australian seamen in the first place," Mr Summers said.

"But on top of that, the crew have been underpaid, bullied and kept in substandard conditions. This is the sort of ship where they have to buy a bottle of water if they want something to drink."

Mr Summers said: “The problems with the flag of convenience shipping were well known but had been made even worse by COVID-19 because the strict quarantine rules in every port meant those on board were even more isolated than usual.”

"The ship owners take their passports, they take their seaman’s books, which are indispensable to these people," Mr Summers said.

"The Burmese crew are scared of the Chinese officers, too scared to speak up, and the documents mean they have them over a barrel."

The ITF works jointly with its affiliate the Maritime Union of Australia. The MUA's Newcastle secretary, Glen Williams, said: “there was no industrial action involved, but the union was in solidarity with the crew, who were all members of the Seafarers' Union of Burma.”