Protest of Jadrolinija Seafarers in Zadar

Zadar, March 10, 2022. – Organized by the Jadrolinija Seafarers’ Union, a seafarers’ protest was held. The gathering highlighted the unsustainable situation in the company, the endangered safety of seafarers and passengers due to old vessels, and concerns about the reduction in crew numbers on routes.

Main Issues

Union representatives highlighted several issues:

Failure to sign the National Collective Agreement and non-compliance with agreements with social partners.
Lack of a new payroll calculation and unpaid working hours, especially during ship overhauls.
Irresponsible decisions to purchase used ferries in Greece in 2020, whose reconstruction still costs citizens dearly.
Reduced expenditures for annual overhauls despite record profits in 2021, resulting in neglected and unsafe ships.
Overworked crews without sufficient rest hours, violating international conventions and the Maritime Code of Croatia.
Reduction in crew members for “savings,” further endangering passenger safety.
Excessive employment of administrative staff on land, while basic conditions are lacking on ships.
Poor nutrition and accommodation – 90% of ships do not provide food or cabins for the crew.
Complete lack of dialogue from the Management with the command staff despite years of warnings.

Union Demands

Due to the aforementioned issues, the union demanded:

Dismissal of CEO David Sopta.
Rejection of the Croatian Government’s proposal for his reappointment as head of the company.

Conclusion

Seafarers stated they are ready to continue the fight for a national collective agreement, paid overtime hours, and new and safer ships. They emphasized that the current policy of austerity and ignoring workers’ rights endangers both seafarers and passengers.