Independent trade union Nautilus International has demanded that Danish line Maersk ends forced redundancies on its Dutch flagged vessels.
According to Nautilus, Maersk recently sold its five Dutch-flagged containerships and decided to lay off 24 Dutch seafarers working on the fleet, only keeping the Dutch captains and chief engineers in service.
The union has filed a petition to Maersk, urging the company to offer alternative employment to the 24 seafarers across the company.
“It is incomprehensible to us and our members that a profitable company like Maersk, with over 300 ships in service, would not be able to find jobs for all 24 Dutch seafarers on their fleet in addition to the Dutch captains and chief engineers,” said Nautilus International deputy general secretary Marcel van den Broek.
“A memorandum of understanding (MOU) on job security was concluded in 2011 between Nautilus and AP Moller Maersk. We still consider this agreement to be applicable,” van den Broek added.
