MARGAO: To protect the rights and hear the grievances of Indian seafarers and shipping companies, the Central government through Directorate General of Shipping has launched a website for redressal of grievances.
The Indian seafarers and shipping companies will now have the facility to close their grievances online. An Indian seafarer with Indian National Database Of Seafarers (INDoS) number can lodge his grievance against the shipping company, recruitment and placement agency within two minutes. The company can also then see the grievance online subject to decision taken by the Shipping Master.
There are eight types of grievances such as non payment of wages, abandonment by ship owners/RPSL, death/missing/accident, repatriation, payment of death/missing/injury compensation, medical attention, non compliance of MLC 2006 and others.
The aggrieved can lodge his grievance to Shipping Master Office (Mumbai/Kolkata/Chennai). There is a space to upload three documents.
In order to overcome procedural delays and expedite resolution of seafarers, grievances, the grievance redressal mechanism is being launched online for registering grievance and obtaining response thereon.
“Indian seafarers will lodge their grievances in this system online. The government has shown keen interest by putting system in place for the seafarers. Now it’s up to the seafarers to make best use of the system to resolve their grievances online. There are lots of shipping companies which are not interested in the seafarers’ welfare. It’s like hire and fire basis, since most of the seafarers are hired on contract basis. It is a good decision taken by the Shipping Ministry and DG Shipping to bring in transparency for all the stakeholders,” informed Frank Viegas, founder of GSAI.
