ITF FERRY FORUM

Fiona Mansell Assistant Branch Secretary Wellington

In June I had the privilege of being invited to attend the first ever ITF Ferry Roundtable forum in Manila in the Phillipines. This is an experience I will never forget.

Once again, I am thankful to the Wellington Branch and National Office for the opportunity to attend. To the affiliates and organisers for ITF thank you so much for making this all possible and successful.

What I loved most about this forum was that everything discussed was centred around Seafarers and Ferries globally. We heard from the CEO of Stena Line Niclas Martensson who has held this position since 2016. I particularly enjoyed hearing that their group management consists of 50% female, with a focus on diversity and inclusion. They are the first shipping company to raise the rainbow flag.

ITF Maritime Co-ordinator Jacqueline Smith strives to ensure that seafarers internationally are covered by collective agreements that are upheld and enforced.

She is committed to protecting national cabotage so national seafarers can continue to work in their own waters. The workshops consisted of the following topics: Negotiations, Grievance Handling, Minimum Safe Manning and Communications.

These sessions were relevant and insightful to all those who attended.

There were a lot of firsts for me that week – first time in Manila, first ITF Conference and the first time speaking on an International Stage.

When asked if I would be interested in being a guest speaker with only 2 days’ notice it suddenly dawned on me that this journey I have been on the last several years in the Union had prepared me to be at this place at that time to share our struggles we have faced in MUNZ with other seafarers globally.