Filipino seafarers seek equal pay, fair treatment

Filipino seafarers working on Dutch-owned vessels are calling for equal pay and fair treatment, saying they are earning significantly less than their European counterparts.

A recent report highlighted disparities in pay and treatment. While Filipino seafarers earn a minimum wage of $801, or about P47,000 per month, surpassing the International Labor Organization’s 2024 standard of $666, they often face unequal treatment.

One Filipino seafarer, who developed a stroke-inducing condition after years of working on a chemical tanker, said he waited weeks for medical treatment. Meanwhile, a Dutch engineer who suffered a heart attack was promptly airlifted off the ship.

Wage disparities also persist, with Filipino and Indonesian seafarers earning significantly less than their European colleagues. The pay gap is justified as a “cost-of-living adjustment,” but seafarers argue that it is unfair.

‘Here on the ship, we all live the same way.’

Alfred, a Filipino seafarer on a cruise ship, recounted a similar experience with wage inequality in a previous job during an interview on DAILY TRIBUNE’s digital show, Usapang OFW, on Thursday.

“When I worked at the front desk of a cruise in 2017, I was shocked to find out that the starting salary for Asians was $900, while for Americans it was $1,400,” he said.

Alfred confirmed that the “cost of living” rationale was often used to justify the wage differences. He said this was one of the issues he and others protested within his company.

“Here on the ship, we all live the same way. Whatever we spend here, everyone spends the same. The expenses in the Philippines should be disregarded; it should be based on what we spend on board,” he stressed.

He added that many benefits, particularly medical-related ones, often went unclaimed.

In a 6 November press briefing, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Cacdac noted that salaries on Dutch-owned vessels could exceed $801 when overtime pay is factored in.

“Whether this wage rate is discriminatory to Filipino seafarers, we will await the findings of the Dutch tribunal or office handling the case,” Cacdac said.

The DMW and the Department of Foreign Affairs had been asked to move for “equal pay for equal work,” echoing principles of the International Labor Organization’s Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) 2006.