Tuvalu Overseas Seamen's Union
Tuvalu Overseas Seamen's Union (TOSU) is the only registered union (trade union) in Tuvalu . It represents workers on foreign ships and has around 600 members.
The TOSU is part of the umbrella organization of the International Transport Workers' Federation . The general secretary is Valo Valo .
Work situation
Tuvaluans are known for their knowledge of shipping. The Tuvalu Maritime Training Institute on the Motu Amatuku in Funafuti trains around 120 marine cadets every year so that they can apply to become sailors for merchant ships. TMTI operates under the Tuvalu Maritime Training Institute Act 2000 .
It is estimated that around 800 Tuvaluans are active in seafaring, around 15% of the male population. The Ahrenkiel Group from Germany is the largest employer for Tuvaluan seafarers.
Seafarers' income is a major source of income for families in Tuvalu. The seafarers are, however, in competition with seafarers from Kiribati and seafarers from South and Southeast Asian countries. The higher transport costs for Tuvaluans and I-Kiribati to get to the hiring places is a major disadvantage of the location. Structural changes in the merchant navy also lead to sharp declines in employment and pay. The increasing automation of loading actions has also led to a decline in employment.
Individual evidence
- ^ Tuvalu marine cadets . Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ↑ Maria Borovnik: Transnationalism of Merchant Seafarers and Their Communities in Kiribati and Tuvalu . Migration and Transnationalism: Pacific Perspectives (Chapter 9) ANU Press. 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
literature
- ICTUR : Trade Unions of the World. John Harper Publishing, London VI. 2005. ISBN 0-9543811-5-7