Among the ever-growing list of economic victims of the coronavirus pandemic, crew members aboard ships will feel short changed as insult is added to injury.
Not only thousands of crew members are stuck aboard ships who have been refused entry into ports or who are not able to board repatration flights due to closure of airports, but now it transpires, they will not be receiving any pay.
In a note leaked to the media, MSC Cruises Manging Director Mario Aponte, crew were informed that they will be provided with single cabin accommodation, food and beverage services, medical assistance, access to education via our e-learning platform, and free social communication through the ship’s IT system.
However, members whose employment on board had reached a contractual end were informed that they would neither be requested to work not be paid while awaiting repatriation. Staff were also offered the opportunity “to stay onboard our ship until it is possible for you to travel home safely.”
Those recipients whose “employment on board had reached a contractual end” were told they would “not be paid,” nor would they “be requested to work” while “awaiting repatriation.”
MSC insisted that although a number of companies are paying two months salary to individuals whose employment is terminated, the company is offering job security by promising renewed employment within six months from the recovery of all operations. “We are not paying the crew at this point, but we guarantee employment within six months,” MSC retorted. “If not, we will still pay the two months due to the crew. But we feel it is more important to guarantee the job security, which the other companies are not doing, therefore making a commitment to get you back onboard and with a job.”
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