Le #Canal_de_Panama bat des records de trafic et poursuit la réduction des équipages sur les remorqueurs d’écluse.
ITF : #Panama_Canal Management to Further Reduce Crew Size on Panama Canal Tugs – gCaptain
▻http://gcaptain.com/itf-panama-canal-management-to-further-reduce-crew-size-on-panama-canal-tu
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) plans to further reduce the number of crew available to Panama Canal tugboats during the transit of vessels in the new Neopanamax locks beginning in July, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) said in an emailed statement opposing the new policy.
In their statement, the ITF said it was made aware of a communication sent on 30 May 2018 by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) to the Union de Capitanes y Oficiales de Cubierta (UCOC), the union representing Panama Canal tugboat captains, about reducing the tug’s complement to the minimum manning established by the Panama Maritime Authority, i.e. one captain, two deckhands and one engineer.
Since the opening of the Neopanamax locks in 2016, it has been standard practice for the ACP to supply an extra captain and (third) deckhand to join the tugboats specifically during transits of new locks.
According to the ITF statement, however, the ACP informed the UCOC that starting on 1 July 2018, the additional captain will no longer be supplied.
The move marks the latest escalation in a dispute between the UCOC and Panama Canal management over minimum safe manning of tugobats. In April, the ACP unexpectedly reduced the number of deckhands available to Panama Canal tugboats, deciding that they would no longer supply the third deckhand during lock transits, as has been the case since the new locks opened.
The reduced manning prompted a brief work stoppage on 12 April 2018. The stoppage interrupted a small number of vessel transits in the Expanded Panama Canal, leading to the ACP to sanction tugboat captains involved and publicly accused them of breaking the law.
Le succès de la voie agrandie inaugurée il y a presque 2 ans ne se dément pas. La direction s’est engagée à augmenter ses versements à l’État de Panamá et semble décidée à poursuivre le bras de fer avec le syndicat des commandants et officiers de pont (UCOC)…