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Kenya’s efforts to expand employment opportunities for seafarers abroad are being undermined by the absence of a national wage structure and weak labour protections, the Seafarers Union of Kenya (SUK) has warned.
The union is now pushing for comprehensive legislation to standardise wages, strengthen oversight of recruitment agencies and improve the welfare of Kenyan seafarers, arguing that local workers continue to earn less than foreign counterparts despite performing the same duties.
SUK Secretary General Atie Swaleh Ramadhan criticised the Ministry of Labour for failing to operationalise the Seafarers Wages Council, which was established more than four years ago to develop a framework for determining seafarers’ pay.
She said the lack of standardised wages has left Kenyan seafarers vulnerable to exploitation, particularly those working on foreign vessels.
