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Protest staged against SCI for vessel management plan

Protest staged against SCI for vessel management plan

Mumbai: Indian seafarers are protesting against plans by state-owned Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) to outsource vessels and crew management, writes Anderimar Shipping News.

More than 200 workers, represented by the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF)-affiliated National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI), demonstrated outside the offices of the publicly-run Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) on 18 August. According to the SCI seafarers - many of whom have worked for the company for more than 20 years - fear the proposals will lead to widespread unemployment among the seafarers.

NUSI general secretary Abdulgani Serang,  said: "The seafarers perform their duties under volatile conditions in the high seas. But it seems that SCI does not care about them. If the SCI insists on continuing with its decision to outsource work, seafarers and NUSI will stand up and agitate on a larger scale in the interests of the seafarers and their families".

Last week, ITF says, a high court in Mumbai rejected the SCI's attempt to prevent NUSI from mobilising against the plans; the court ruled that it was the right of the trade union to take action in opposition to the proposals.