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The below article was sent to you from Mike Feltham (mj.feltham at madasafish.com) with the following message: I thought you might be interested in the article below, which I saw on lloydslist
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Respect is key to tackling crew crisis
Tuesday 28 October 2008

THE best way for the shipping industry to tackle its recruitment crisis is to &ldquo;stop treating seafarers like shit&rdquo;, a leading Norwegian shipmanagement executive told an industry conference today.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Jan Morten Eskilt, chairman of OSM Group, made clear that his remarks were addressed to conditions of employment and, most importantly of all, basic professional respect rather than pay rates.&nbsp;<br />
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Despite the fears expressed by other speakers that the global recession of the next few years might lead to a surplus rather than a shortage of qualified crew, Mr Eskilt argued that even in slump conditions, a shortfall of up to 60,000 is still likely unless action is taken to rectify the position.&nbsp;<br />
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Speaking to <em>Lloyd&rsquo;s List</em> after his speech, he argued that shipowners looking to make economies frequently resorted to penny-pinching when it came to crews. Specifically he cited areas such as food and accomodation.&nbsp;<br />
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&ldquo;Officers spend three to five years in university. They could just as well become a lawyer, or an economist, financial analyst, or whatever. We have to treat our officers with respect.&nbsp;<br />
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&ldquo;Consider the way people look at seafaring and the way people talk about seafaring. Even in Norway, we have a prime minister who uses the expression &lsquo;drunk as a seaman&rsquo;.&rdquo;&nbsp;<br />
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Reaction to the comments among the shipping human resources community divided between representatives of employers and representatives of employees.&nbsp;<br />
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A spokesman for officers&rsquo; union Nautilus UK said: &ldquo;This kind of blunt speaking is long-overdue and certainly something we would welcome. That kind of analysis is endorsed by research we have done among our members, which shows how strained loyalty to employers has become in recent years.&rdquo;&nbsp;<br />
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But a Chamber of Shipping representative said: &ldquo;These comments are completely without foundation. In the UK, officer recruitment is growing and retention rates are high. British shipowners respect and observe international standards of living and working conditions for seafarers and ensure that they are treated well.&rdquo;
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