Despite reporting these problems to his union, the deck cadet felt he was not receiving the support he was hoping for. He agreed that SeafarerHelp could refer the case to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) but asked that they did not name him. The SeafarerHelp Officer reassured the deck cadet that SeafarerHelp would assist and support him.
After referring the case, the SeafarerHelp team found out from one of the other crew members that the deck cadet had been sent home while the bosun had remained on board. When the team next spoke to the deck cadet, he was frustrated and worried – he had not been fully paid and the cost of his flight ticket home had been taken out of his wages.
The SeafarerHelp team alerted the ITF Seafarer Support team in London. The ITF visited the vessel and organised for the deck cadet to be paid in full and remunerated for his flight ticket. The SeafarerHelp team provided emotional support to the deck cadet and referred him to ISWAN’s mental health resources and guidance on bullying and harassment. They also suggested that he reported the conditions on board to the Confidential Hazardous Incident Reporting Programme (CHIRP Maritime).
The deck cadet was glad to leave the vessel, although he was still concerned about finding further employment, despite being cleared of any responsibility for what happened on board. When the SeafarerHelp team last spoke to him, he was going out, seeing friends and no longer suffering from anxiety or sleeping problems.
If you are a seafarer with a concern on board, you can speak to a member of the SeafarerHelp team confidentially – all our contact details can be found at seafarerhelp.org. Make a note of our details or save them on your phone in case you ever need our help or support.
