Are cruise crew members being taken for a ride?
There’s nothing as decadent as a cruise holiday, but one maritime lawyer has made a startling suggestion that there’s another, less-appealing side to this luxury.
Writing for Cruise Law News, Jim Walker has suggested six ways cruise crew members are being taken for a ride by cruise lines. And while this is by no means the case on every cruise, it’s something to be mindful of the next time you’re booking a holiday.
1. Crew members can be overworked
Mr Walker contends, “Cabin attendants, galley employees and waiters and other crew members work a minimum of ten to twelve hours a day, sometimes far more, seven days a week, for eight to ten months a year. They have no time off.”
2. Crew members can be underpaid
Mr Walker says that part of what makes these excessive hours so gruelling is the fact that many crew members are underpaid and rely on customer tips to make up the difference. When customers don’t tip appropriately they can run into trouble.
3. Cruise lines can prohibit crew from organising
Another problem identified by Mr Walker is the fact that cruise crew members don’t have the capacity to organise and demand better conditions. Mr Walker sites one such protest, where crew were fired and blackballed from the industry.
4. Cruise lines can fire crew at will
Mr Walker also contends a big problem facing the fair treatment of cruise workers is the fact that lines can often, “Terminate the employment of a crew member for any reason, good reason, bad reason or no reason. Cruise lines often terminate the jobs of crew members who complain of work-related injuries and can do so with little legal recourse.”
5. Cruise lines provide few benefits to crew members
Citing one particular cruise line that has removed its retirement program for crew members (some of whom had worked over a decade for the company), Mr Walker suggests that there are few benefits for crew members working long hours on cruises.
6. Cruise lines force crew to arbitrate disputes
Mr Walker contends many lines have stripped cruise members of their basic rights after they, “Inserted foreign law from countries like Panama, or Bermuda or the Bahamas into employment agreements which have few laws protecting seafarers.”
While this by no means suggests this is the case with all lines, it’s certainly something to be mindful of when booking your next cruise. Have you ever been concerned about the treatment of crew members on a cruise that you have taken?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
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