UNILEVER and other big retailers have been adopting a toolkit to audit their shipping supply chains to help bring home stranded seafarers and eliminate human rights abuses, reports Bloomberg.
The voluntary initiative calls on companies that put cargo in shipping containers to address problems stemming from government-imposed restrictions on crew changes.
The checklist includes the support of crew changes to ensure clauses aren't being added to contracts that prevent crew relief. The initiative also calls on companies to put pressure on governments to support the industry.
More than 200,000 seafarers are still stuck on vessels beyond the expiration of their contracts, well past the globally accept safety measure.
The programme is expected to be endorsed by the powerful Consumer Goods Forum, a body that counts hundreds of the world's biggest consumer companies as members.
'Businesses, from multinational firms to global brands, have a responsibility to respect the human rights of seafarers as workers along their supply chain. There is a vast gap between business aspiration and business action on human rights. This tool seeks to address that,' said UN Global Compact sea issue adviser Sturla Henriksen.
The International Chamber of Shipping is on board with the new initiative according to secretary-general Guy Platten.
'The crew change crisis is far from over,' Mr Platten.
Fashion retailer TFG London conducted an investigation of its supply chain in 2020. TFG London's corporate social responsibility and sustainability executive Francesca Mangano declared that the company found five vessels didn't have agreements with the union.
'We felt powerless to act as we didn't have meaningful tools or leverage to respond to this crisis. This tool is set to drive change,' said Ms Mangano.
SeaNews Turkey
The voluntary initiative calls on companies that put cargo in shipping containers to address problems stemming from government-imposed restrictions on crew changes.
The checklist includes the support of crew changes to ensure clauses aren't being added to contracts that prevent crew relief. The initiative also calls on companies to put pressure on governments to support the industry.
More than 200,000 seafarers are still stuck on vessels beyond the expiration of their contracts, well past the globally accept safety measure.
The programme is expected to be endorsed by the powerful Consumer Goods Forum, a body that counts hundreds of the world's biggest consumer companies as members.
'Businesses, from multinational firms to global brands, have a responsibility to respect the human rights of seafarers as workers along their supply chain. There is a vast gap between business aspiration and business action on human rights. This tool seeks to address that,' said UN Global Compact sea issue adviser Sturla Henriksen.
The International Chamber of Shipping is on board with the new initiative according to secretary-general Guy Platten.
'The crew change crisis is far from over,' Mr Platten.
Fashion retailer TFG London conducted an investigation of its supply chain in 2020. TFG London's corporate social responsibility and sustainability executive Francesca Mangano declared that the company found five vessels didn't have agreements with the union.
'We felt powerless to act as we didn't have meaningful tools or leverage to respond to this crisis. This tool is set to drive change,' said Ms Mangano.
SeaNews Turkey