Filipino crewmen unpaid since April, in “dire’ straits

SAN FRANCISCO – An Australian trade union accused owners of the bulk carrier AOM Milena of not paying the crew of 21 Filipinos since April and forcing them to live and work in “filthy conditions” where they were also running short of food.

The crew’s situation came to light when AOM Milena docked in Gladstone, Australia this week, where it serves an aluminum refinery.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation’s national co-ordinator Dean Summers said the “dire” situation meant the crew were given $50 a day to buy food for 21 people before their next voyage to Weipa to collect another bauxite load from Rio Tinto Alcan Weipa, according to a Cairns Post report.

The bulk carrier AOM Milena crewed by 21 Filipinos. SHIPSPOTTING PHOTO

AOM Milena reportedly operates under the ‘‘flag of convenience,’’ where it is registered in a port far from where it operates, allowing it to avoid stricter local laws and regulations.

The ship is Japanese-owned, registered in Panama operated out of Portugal and crewed by Filipino workers. Yet, it currently transports bauxite between Australian ports.

“If Rio Tinto wanted to transport this bauxite by road or rail, they’d need to pay Australian minimum wages and adhere to Australian health and safety regulations, but because they transport it by sea they can avoid those requirements and slash costs,” Summers told Cairns Post.

“It is completely unacceptable that the workers carrying this task out should be forced to go months without pay. What we are seeing is vicious, nasty penny-pinching on a vessel chartered by one of the wealthiest companies on earth.”

The ITF has contacted the operators of AOM Milena, demanding the crew be paid and restocked with food before they leave port.

A spokesman for Rio Tinto said the company took such allegations “very seriously.”

He confirmed Rio Tinto chartered the vessel from Augustea Ocean Bulk Maritime Ltd. The spokesman Rio Tinto was seeking immediate assurance from the owners, Hakuto Shipping, that any issues would be resolved without delay.

It is a condition of Rio Tinto’s charter contracts that the vessel is International Trade Workers’ Federation-approved and/or the crews’ employment terms and conditions are equivalent.

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