TNAG-0510-FCO40-575-Registration-of-merchant-shipping-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 46

RESOLUTION.

This meeting of the Fair Practices Committee of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), held in London on 17 and 18 January 1974 and attended by representatives of sea- farers' and dockers' trade unions from Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Republic of China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America:-

1. STRONGLY CONDEMNS the proposal to establish a Shipping

Register in Hong Kong, such Register to be separate from that of the United Kingdom;

2. FIRMLY BELIEVES that such a separate register would inevitably lead to a deterioration of the safety of navigation through a lowering of the mandatory qualifi- cations demanded of officers and seamen compared with those demanded by United Kingdom legislation;

3. ALSO BELIEVES that shipping companies of various

nationalities would establish bogus shipowning companies in Hong Kong in order to take advantage of cheap labour and less demandi ng maritime legislation and trade union agreements;

4. DEMANDS that the British Government does not allow the

establishment of a separate Hong Kong Shipping Register; 5. CALLS UPON all maritime affiliates of the ITF, in the event of the establishment of such a register and, in the framework of the ITF flag-of-convenience campaign, to pay particular attention to vessels flying the Hong Kong flagi 6. In this connection, AGREES that ships transferred from

the registers of traditional maritime countrics including U.K. to the proposed Hong Kong register shall be consi- dered as ships operating a flag of convenience; 7. AGREES ALSO that new ships registered on the proposed

Hong Kong register which cre managed and/or owned in other countries shall be considered as ships flying a flag of convenience;

and

8. AGREES FURTHER that the transfer of a ship flying a flag

of convenience to the proposed Hong Kong register will not alter its status unless:

(a) the beneficial ownership and management

are indigenous to Hong Kong;

(b) the standards of equipment and manning

comply with United Kingdom standards in all respects;

(༠)

and

rates of pay and other conditions of seafarers are negotiated with an ITF affiliate and approved by the ITF.

གས་

}