MOVEMENT is apparent in Nairobi on the issue of Kenyan seafarers' wages with the announcement by Shipping and Maritime Affairs Principal Secretary Nancy Karigithu that her department is working with the Ministry of Labour to establish minimum wages in the sector
MOVEMENT is apparent in Nairobi on the issue of Kenyan seafarers' wages with the announcement by Shipping and Maritime Affairs Principal Secretary Nancy Karigithu that her department is working with the Ministry of Labour to establish minimum wages in the sector. Mombasa maritime consultant Andrew Mwangura welcomed the news, noting it will protect Kenyans from unscrupulous 'foreign employers', he told the Kenya News Agency.
'A Filipino working with a Kenyan aboard the same ship will be paid US$900 dollars while a Kenyan doing the same task will get $250 dollars,' he said.
'The formation of a regulatory body in the shipping industry is long overdue as local seafarers have been suffering in the hands of both local and foreign employers,' Mr Mwangura said.
The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) recently urged the government to fully implement the Maritime Labour Convention (2006) rules and regulations to protect Kenyan seafarers from exploitation.
'Shipping industry is run and dominated by multinational companies which has negatively affected job market in Kenya,' said ITF Inspector Betty Makena.
