Three day seafarers’ expo kicks off in Manila

22 June 2010

Three day seafarers’ expo kicks off in Manila

A three day ‘ITF Expo’ begins tomorrow next to Manila’s Luneta Seafarers’ Center, heart of the Philippines seafaring community. From Wednesday to Friday 23 to 25 June 2010 the ITF and its Filipino maritime unions will invite seafarers to share knowledge about their needs and their lives at sea, offer them information and materials, and celebrate the Year of the Seafarer.

The Expo will be opened at 08:00 on Wednesday by the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment, Marianito D Roque, who will cut the ribbon, accompanied by music from the Philippines Navy Band, and with the Mayor of Manila in attendance. On site will be a photo exhibition, vox pop video filming for the Year of the Seafarer, food, free medical checkups, quizzes and a raffle, an introduction to the ITF seafarers’ website, and an invitation to sign the joint industry piracy petition, www.endpiracynow.org, on one of five dedicated PCs.

ITF Head of Maritime Operations Graham Young said: “This is a three day event dedicated to seafarers. Luneta is a centre of Philippines seafaring - the place where recruits and serving seafarers go to find jobs and to find out more - and this week Manila is a centre of world seafaring, with the IMO, ITF and ICSW all in town and holding events.”

Young continued: “The ITF and its local affiliates look forward to reaching out and listening to what seafarers have to say, and to taking the opportunity to explain to them the benefits of trade unionism. This Expo is the first of a series of events with that purpose.”

The ITF Expo is one of several maritime-related events taking place in Manila this week. From 21 to 25 June the IMO diplomatic conference to revise the STCW Convention is being held (see http://www.imo.org). The day after the ITF Expo, and in the same location, the International Committee for Seafarers’ Welfare (ICSW) will hold a Party in the Park for seafarers and their families (see www.seafarerswelfare.org). A Year of the Seafarer Forum is also being held at the Philippine International Convention Center (see www.faceofshipping.com/user/seafarer/sf_manila.asp
) .

ENDS

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