This week notes a year given that Ravindu Telge, second Officer of the Maersk Patras, dropped crazy while lashing underway along the Saint Lawrence Seaway, in Quebec, Canada.
Securing as well as unsecuring containers onboard relocating ships is very harmful job that the Canadian Union of Public Employees as well as the ITF have actually condemned– as well as have actually repetitively alerted the Port of Montreal as well as Transport Canada versus permitting.
The day he was eliminated, Brother Telge had actually functioned his common midnight-to-04:00 watch. Later the exact same early morning, he was phoned call to do a change of tough work on deck. Container ships calling at Montreal are called for by incurable drivers there to unlash all containers as well as loosen up twistlocks prior to getting here in port, to conserve the port money and time. This indicates the seafarers whose real work is to preserve as well as browse the ship, are pushed right into stevedoring operate in enhancement to their very own job.
Image Credits: itfglobal.org
Had Brother Telge finished this job, he globe have actually after that stabbed in the back navigating watch at midday. Instead, at regarding 09:00, Brother Telge tipped over the rail to his fatality while holding a four-metre lashing bar.
The ITF is waiting for a duplicate of preliminary searchings for fromTransport Canada To its embarassment, Canada’s Transportation Safety Board, the nationwide authority that examines aquatic mishaps, declined to exercise its required. Instead, it has actually left the obligation to the flag state of Singapore, where the vessel was signed up, getting rid of any type of opportunity that Transport Canada finds out any one of the called for lessons from this event to stop any type of future danger to the lives of seafarers in their waters.
In a grim spin of destiny, the Maersk Patras called at Montreal on the initial wedding anniversary of Brother Telge’s fatality. Today, Dockers’ agents from CUPE Local 375, come with by ITF Inspector Vince Giannopoulos, boarded the vessel to educate the Captain that the port employees desired to honour their bro’s loss as well as deal presents to the team. The Captain as well as team accepted sign up with the longshoremen on the dock for a quick event.
Sylvain Charron, Vice-President of CUPE 375, stated his participants’ ideas continue to be with Brother Telge’s household.
“This has actually constantly had to do with the seafarers. They have a tough adequate work currently. In the winter season, the weather condition can be -30Celsius Lashing is a hazardous work. We understand it is effort. We do not assume it is reasonable that BrotherTelge must offer his life to do function he ought to not be doing. We dream his household regard as well as hope that they will certainly have the ability to locate tranquility.
Ravindu was 31 when he passed away, he would certainly have been 32, 2 days, earlier on May 17th. He will certainly never ever transform 32 currently. We can just visualize the pain of his household in your home in Sri Lanka.”
Sylvain Charron included: “I hope his family will know that CUPE 375 will not forget his loss — and we will continue to fight for seafarer safety on vessels coming to our port.”
ITF Canada Coordinator Peter Lahay stated “We have actually done our research. We understand that the pressure placed on team to lash is done to conserve the market a couple of bucks.
“We have expressed this to the Port of Montreal and to Transport Canada. They don’t seem to care about the seafarers doing this dangerous work. They seem content to have this cruel and dangerous practice continue. Ravindu was a young seafarer who needlessly gave his life. He had no choice. That’s the way it is on ships: you either do the work or you are invited to go home.”
“Seafarers are highly exploitable and prone to doing dangerous work like lashing. Nothing is crueler than operators who takes advantage of that. This practice must be stopped.” stated Peter Lahay.
Remember the dead as well as battle like heck for the living.
Reference: itfglobal.org
