In February 2024, the Seafarers’ International Union of Canada published a report on an in-house study conducted to gauge the issue and severity of workplace harassment, sexual harassment and bullying taking place on board SIU-crewed vessels. While the report pointed to some serious areas of concern and highlighted the need for more attention to be paid to preventing instances of harassment in the future, the response to the report from the SIU Canada membership was overwhelming.
Since the publishing of our report on harassment, we have seen many more members coming forward to speak about their experience with harassment on board. I have spoken to many female SIU members personally in my role as the union’s Women’s Representative about issues they have faced in the past and ongoing issues related to harassment. We have seen a major increase in the amount of open and honest dialogue taking place regarding issues of harassment, not just by our female members, but our male members as well, with more and more instances being brought to the attention of SIU Canada representatives in our Halls across the country. While workplace harassment disproportionately impacts women, men are also subjected to harassment regularly. We are happy that our report was able to encourage and promote more discussion and awareness about workplace harassment and what we can all do to create a safer work environment on board our ships. We are seeing a marked decrease in the stigma of talking openly about workplace harassment and this is one of the first steps we were hoping to see in our efforts to end harassment on board.
SIU Canada officials have also been meeting frequently with the Companies to ensure proper harassment policies are in place within all our bargaining units and that these policies are being properly enforced. Having an effective harassment policy in place is meaningless without concrete action and adherence to these policies. All SIU Canada members should be aware of their company policies on harassment, and what the reporting protocol is for your employer. The SIU Canada has been creating a database with all company harassment policies. If you or someone you know are experiencing harassment on board your vessel and you are unsure of what your company policies or reporting procedures are, please reach out to an SIU Canada representative and we would be happy to help you every step of the way.
At the end of this sailing season, your Union will be conducting another survey on harassment, sexual harassment and bullying to see how the results compare to the survey conducted in the Summer of 2023. While there is still much work to be done, your Union does not take this issue lightly and we will continue to prioritize the safety of our members above all else. As we said when we published the report in February, making our vessels harassment-free will be an ongoing task that we will continue to pay close attention to for the months and years to come. We all deserve to work in a safe environment and your Union will do everything in its power to ensure that’s the case.
In solidarity,
Nadia Pecoraro
SIU Canada Women’s Representative
