ITF ship prompts Polish government to move on shipping talks

Months of prevarication by the Polish Government on talks with shipping unions has been broken by a dramatic public response to the ITF campaign ship GLOBAL MARINER (1). The exhibition ship has been in Gdynia since Thursday 6th August as part of an International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) campaign against Flags of Convenience (FOCs) and substandard shipping.

28,650 people visited the ship in just 26 hours of open days in the port of Gdynia. After only 7000, Government officials telephoned Solidarnosc to set up a meeting between shipping unions and the Prime Minister, Mr.Jerzy Buzek. This followed months of delays since Solidarnosc first proposed round table discussions at the beginning of this year (2).

Visitors from all over the country were shocked by what they learned from the exhibition. 80% of shipping in Poland is registered with Flags of Convenience - and it's getting worse. Now the Government is considering a Polish 2nd register - inviting foreign ship owners to fly the Polish flag.

"We are afraid for our industry and for our seafarers," said Janusz Maciejewicz, President of the National Maritime Section of Solidarnosc. "We are talking about the Polish fleet. We are already losing jobs. Opening our national fleet to foreign owners can only make things worse for the Polish. We have to ask the Government whether they really want a shipping industry."

Also see: Pakistan Flags

About The Author:

Don French is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.1st-in-flags.com. The flags of the world are symbols of recognition full of beauty and color for each country.

	Polish Flag
ITF ship prompts Polish government to move on shipping talks