The Seafarers’ International Union of Canada (SIU) has published a report on workplace harassment and bullying within the Canadian marine sector, which indicates that 46% of seafarers have experienced harassment or bullying at some point in their career as a seafarer.
The report is a summary of the data gathered from a survey that was conducted by the union on the topic of workplace harassment in the summer of 2023 which was sent to all members of the union, who represent the majority of unlicensed seafarers across Canada.
The report points to some areas of concern in an industry currently experiencing a shortage of workers to fill available positions on board Canadian-flagged vessels in Canadian waterways. The union said it hopes that releasing the results of the survey will help start an industry-wide conversation about how to address issues of harassment at sea to make seafaring a more sought-after career for potential job seekers.
There are encouraging signs in the data gathered that harassment is less of an issue now that it has been in the past, however, it is clear more can be done to put an end to workplace harassment on Canadian vessels.
“Harassment in the workplace is not something we take lightly and clearly it is an issue that the industry as a whole needs to do a better job at addressing,” stated Michael Given, president of the SIU Canada. “A career as a seafarer can be a fantastic way to earn a living and it’s an incredibly rewarding career, however, the workplace needs to be a safe and healthy environment for everyone on board if we want to address issues of recruitment and retention within the industry.”
Among key findings from the survey include the statistic that 69% of female seafarers have experienced harassment at some point in their career, 9% of all seafarers have experienced sexual harassment at some point in their career and 35% of female seafarers have experienced sexual harassment. 48% of those who have been harassed did not report inappropriate behaviour to their employer.
Last year, the Center for Maritime Health and Society (CMSS) at the University of Southern Denmark held a similar investigation looking at the extent of harassment and bullying on Danish ships on behalf of the Danish Maritime Authority.
The investigation found that approximately 17% of the respondents experienced bullying at their workplace, while 11% had been exposed to harassment.
