The Belgian government’s oceanographic research vessel, the ‘Belgica’, risks being detained during an inspection by port authorities at a non-Belgian port. French shipping company Genavir, the operator of the Belgian-flagged vessel, wants to conclude collective agreements in Latvia for the Latvian crew, thus violating the Maritime Labour Convention.
The ‘Belgica’ is used in Belgian waters and beyond to engage in scientific research in support of the so-called blue economy. In addition, the ship serves as an intervention platform during disasters. On board, officers from the Belgian navy are in command, assisted by electrical engineering officers from France. The rest of the crew consists mainly of Latvians, which is where the problem now lies.
Belgian state
The research vessel is managed by a French shipping company, while it is owned by the Belgian state. Genavir has now tried to negotiate a collective labour agreement in Latvia for the Latvian crew members, ACV-Transcom learned from a fellow Latvian trade union. However, a Latvian union cannot conclude collective agreements for the crew of a ship flying the Belgian flag. Genavir would thus violate the Maritime Labour Convention.
In chains
Moreover, Genavir does not seem to know that the crew that stays on board between assignments – when the ‘Belgica’ is docked in the port of Zeebrugge, for example – regardless of the nationality of the seafarers, is always working under Belgian working conditions. If inspected by port authorities in a non-Belgian port, the ‘Belgica’ now risks being detained until all breaches are resolved.
No reaction excellencies
According to ACV-Transcom, the Christian Trade Union Central, is said to have raised the social dumping aboard the Belgica with federal Minister of Economy and Employment Pierre-Yves Dermagne, his Finance colleague Peter Van Peteghem, in charge of coordinating the fight against fraud, then Minister of Justice and North Sea Vincent Van Quickenborne, Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder and Secretary of State for Relance and Strategic Investments Thomas Dermine, in charge of Science Policy, but to no avail.
“The excellencies did not even respond to our notification,” says general sector manager Maritime-Aerospace Kurt Callaerts, who in the meantime also delivered the gathered info to members of the Mobility, Public Enterprises and Federal Institutions Committee in the federal parliament. “We urge the federal government to act immediately against social dumping on board the ‘Belgica’ and preferably also install an all-Belgian crew at once.”