After many long months of waiting, sailors working for Seaspan will finally
have the opportunity to elect the union of their choice to represent them and
negotiate on their behalf all agreements that concern them and all their
collective agreements with Seaspan.
Following the merger of companies whose crew members were, either
members of the S.I.U., or members of the ILWU, the Canada Industrial
Relations Board decided it was advisable that all Seaspan seafarers be
represented by only one trade union and ordered the consolidation vote of all
sailors working for Seaspan.
We congratulate the Canada Industrial Relations Board for having taken the
decision of ordering the consolidation vote. As a result, all Seaspan sailors will
have the opportunity to benefit from the same working conditions.
The Sailors’ Union
The S.I.U has represented sailors on the West Coast and in other parts of our
great country for more than 60 years. The S.I.U knows the living and working
conditions sailors want because our leaders and negotiators have worked as
sailors. They negotiate collective agreements that meet the needs of sailors and
allow them to enjoy a good life, for them and for members of their families.
S.I.U. members have had over these years the opportunity of determining
the advantages offered by the S.I.U., the presence of Union representatives on
the docks and aboard ship, the inclusion of fellow crewmembers from their
bargaining unit on the negotiating committee and the requirement that members
of the bargaining unit approve and ratify any collective agreement before it
comes into effect.
|
|
|
The consolidation vote comes at the right time. The economy is rebounding,
consumers and companies are optimistic and our industry is thriving. On the
West Coast, as in all other parts of Canada, S.I.U. members have an excellent
opportunity to get jobs. We recommend ILWU members read this edition of The
Canadian Sailor and learn more about our Union. You will find that your chosen
profession, as a professional seafarer, gives you excellent opportunities for now
and for the future, to get good jobs, good wages as well as good working and
living conditions.
When you become a S.I.U. member, you are guaranteed the same
protection, as all other S.I.U. members, by the Union Constitution and the
National Shipping Rules. Ask one of our representatives to give you a copy of
these important documents.
As a S.I.U. member, you will share the feeling of pride felt by other
members and you will understand why the S.I.U. is renowned and recognized as
The Brotherhood of the Sea.
The S.I.U is a Sailors Union and we look forward to welcoming ILWU
members within our ranks By joining the S.I.U., they become fully-fledged
members of the S.I.U. with all the rights and privileges that have made the
S.I.U., the most important and most respected Sailors’ Union in Canada.
The S.I.U being a national union with collective agreements from sea to
sea, S.I.U. members have the option to register, if they wish, in any of our hiring
halls across Canada and to get jobs aboard a wide variety of ships, tugs, selfunloaders,
ferries, dredges, chemical and petroleum tankers.
|
|
