Unemployed seafarers receive used clothing

The Ghana Merchant Navy Officers Association and the International Transport Federation (ITF) Seafarers Trust based in the United Kingdom have donated quantities of used clothing to about 1,000 unemployed Ghanaian seafarers.

The donation, which was made through the Christian Friends Society of Ghana (CFSG), is to relieve them of undesirable pressures of life endured over 15 years of joblessness due to the collapse of the Black Star Line Corporation (BSL).

Making the presentation, the Reverend Cadman Sekyi Appiah, Port Chaplain Director of the CFSG, advised the seafarers not to be discouraged by their plight because the Lord would definitely pave the way for them to get employed.

Mr Sigis Buckman, General Secretary of ITF, regretted the plight of the seafarers because they did not directly cause the collapse of the BSL.

He expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare for the ratification of the International Labour Organisations (ILO) convention since it seeks to bring renewed hope for the seafarers of securing employment on board vessels.

Mr Buckman, however, called for the passage of the Ghana Maritime Authority and Merchant Shipping bill, which is a pre-requisite for the achievement of international complaints by Ghanaian seafarers.

In a speech read for him, Alhaji Muhammed Mumuni, Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, advised the donors to identify the skills of the seafarers and help them to become self-supporting.

He said that, in collaboration with stakeholders and non-governmental organisations, the ministry is trying to evolve policies that would enhance the living standard of the disadvantaged and the vulnerable in society.