DAILY JAPAN SHIPPING NEWS【SPECIAL ISSUE】

Daily Japan Shipping News
SPECIAL ISSUE【Asian Report】（1）

Kaiun Keizai
Shimbunsha co.,ltd.
Kyobashi-Nagaoka Bldg,3-6-1,Hacchobori,Chuo-ku,Tokyo,104-0032 Japan
ＴＥＬ（81-3）-3552-7596
ＦＡＸ（81-3）-3552-7598

Christmas Parties in 2015
Better Welfare Plan for Filipino seafarers and their families,
with stronger loyalty to Japanese maritime industry
Against the backdrop of increasing energy
demand worldwide and cargo transport demandin emerging countries in particular, the volume ofmarine transport is expected to keep expanding
towards the future. It has been long time sinceconcerns over shortage of seafarers in suchincreasing demand was first voiced. In view of thefact that Filipino seafarers account for as high as
70%（40,000）of about 56,000 seafarers working
onboard about 2,800 ships of the Japanese merchantshipping fleet, it’s no exaggeration to say that stable
recruitment and employment of those Filipino
seafarers in terms of both quality and quantity isa critically important matter that might possibly
determine the fate of Japanese maritime industry.
From the late 1990s through early 2000s, Japaneseshipping companies strived to look for methods andsources for securing places to be used for educating
and training seafarers and stable manning sources.
For avoiding country risk, they tried to findpotential suppliers of labors in some other countries
in addition to the Philippines, including China withpopulation exceeding 1.4 billion. However, by taking
account of cost effectiveness and other factors,
Japanese shipping companies decided to return to
the Philippines as a supplier of seafarers several
years ago. As seen in the appointment of many
Filipino senior officers,“exclusive dependence”
on the Philippines as a supplier of seafarers is（From left）President Morita of JSU
and President Oca of AMOSUP

President Saito of KLSM（left）and seafarer’s family

increasingly accelerated.
Japanese shipping companies thus recruit
competent Filipino seafarers through strengthened“Enclosure”by re-investing their capital again in
the Philippines for the last 10 years ago. Major
shipping companies established maritime academy
and training centers of their own in the Philippines.
Filipinos are recruited while they are still in highschool and learn‘corporate philosophy’and to haveloyalty in its academy or training center. In viewof the ethics and morals of Filipino, who considers
things in unit of family, the companies always
provide care for the families of seafarers who join
the company. Japanese shipping companies strive
to employ Filipino seafarers as far as resources areavailable.
At the same time, labor-management
organizations in Japan and the Philippines such as
JSU, AMOSUP, IMMAJ and PJMCC, are working
to differentiate Japanese maritime industry fromthose in other countries by providing all Filipino
seafarers who will work in Japanese ships with
opportunities to receive good education and training,satisfactory workplace and full-fledged welfare
plan. Using various IBF labor agreements-based
funds applicable to foreign seafarers, opportunities
to receive advanced education and training andfull-fledged welfare plan are given to Filipino
seafarers. Such approaches, including the welfare

plan managed by Japan-Filipino seafarers unions（JSU/AMOSUP）, may sufficiently motivate good
Filipino seafarers to remain in“Japanese MaritimeIndustry”.
This issue covers issues such as recruitment ofFilipino seafarers by“enclosure”, measures taken
by major shipping companies for encouraging
their loyalty to the shipping companies theywork for and international labor-management
approach for building a better seafarer welfare
benefit plan. Specifically, the articles cover threedifferent Christmas Parties: The first one was theChristmas Party（Seafarers Family Gathering）
sponsored by“K”Line for the Filipino seafarers
working in its group companies and their families
in Manila, accompanied by“Hello Kitty”invitation
project using JSU’s welfare fund for non-domicile
special members; the second Christmas Party took
place at JSU-AMOSUP Mariner’s Home（welfare/accommodation facilities built and operated by JSU
in cooperation with AMOSUP）; and the third
Christmas Party was sponsored by Philippine-Japan
Manning Consultative Council, Inc.（PJMCC）, anorganization composed of Filipino manning agencies
supplying Filipino seafarers to work onboard
Japanese merchant shipping fleet. Initiatives ofmajor shipping companies, labor unions and manning
agencies are covered from the aspect of“Seafarers
Family Gathering”as part of welfare service.

（From left）Chairman Sasaki of IMMAJ
and President Manese of PJMCC“K”Line /JSU-AMOSUP Mariners’Home /PJMCC“Hello Kitty”popular characters in the Philippines, invitation project,with support from JSU’s welfare fund for non-domiciled special members