Danish seafarers’ union Metal Maritime’s shore leave dispute with compatriot shipping giant A.P. Moller Maersk could end up in the Labour Court, after both sides’ attempts at mediation failed.
The dispute began on 11 February, when Metal Maritime said it received confirmation from its members that Maersk had banned seafarers on its ships from going ashore. Three days later, Metal Maritime reported this perceived breach of the Danish Maritime Act and the Maritime Labour Convention to the Danish Maritime Authority.
On 25 February, the Danish Maritime Authority arranged a meeting between the representatives of Maersk and Metal Maritime, during which the authority’s officials stated that the Seamen’s Act guarantees the seafarer the right to go ashore and that it is the master who can ask the seafarer to stay on board, and not the shipping company.
On 11 March, Maersk announced that it was lifting the restrictions on shore leave for all its ships worldwide, but Metal Maritime insists on going to court over the matter.
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