The collapse of talks over setting wage rates covering more than 150,000 seafarers raises questions over the future of shipping’s main collective bargaining negotiations.
Last week, unions and employers walked away from negotiations in Tokyo to finalise a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) under the International Bargaining Forum (IBF). The talks, planned to last a week, ended after two days.
The employers, represented by a collaboration of global employer associations known as the Joint Negotiating Group (JNG), and unions represented by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) put out a joint statement declaring that the talks had ended without agreement.
