‘I did not expect it to be an easy trip’

Kan Matsuzaki and Walton Pantland - IndustriALL

Walton Pantland (top) and Kan Matsuzaki (bottom)

‘I remember a meeting with a shipyard owner who proudly displayed their safety manual, which turned out to be FNV’s manual.’

Prior expectations

Not easy

‘I did not expect it to be an easy trip,’ says Kan Matsuzaki, Assistant General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union. ‘It is for good reason that shipbreaking is called the most dangerous job in the world. The risks for the workers are huge.’ Matsuzaki was closely involved in international lobbying for the ratification of the Hong Kong Convention, and calls the convention ‘the most practical first step to remediate the industry.’

‘I recall very clearly what happened in 2011,’ he continues. ‘That is when the international community decided to collaborate on recycling ships in a safe and environmentally friendly manner. It gave me confidence that people were prepared to commit to better working conditions, maritime safety, and environmental protection.’

Walton Pantland

Biggest obstacle

Different stakeholders

‘Working with all these different stakeholders,’ says Walton Pantland, Director of organising and campaigns and shipbuilding and shipbreaking with IndustriALL. ‘On the one hand, you have the shipbreaking companies that are afraid the Hong Kong Convention will harm their enterprises, while on the other hand, the NGOs and civil-society organisations feel the convention does not go far enough. And they have a point. The convention is not perfect, and addresses only what happens within the shipyard and not beyond it, such as healthcare and education. But it is a first step.’

Breakthrough moment

Bangladesh and Liberia ratify the convention

‘The year 2023 was a terrific one,’ says Matsuzaki. ‘When Bangladesh and Liberia ratified the Hong Kong Convention during the summer, all conditions for the convention to enter into force had finally been met. Pakistan and the Marshall Islands also joined, as a result of which all major shipbreaking countries and flag states are now involved.’

Pantland was relieved when, after lengthy and intensive lobbying behind the scenes, Bangladesh, the largest major shipbreaking country, also ratified the Hong Kong Convention. ‘Ratification of the convention by countries happens at various levels,’ he explains. ‘For shipbreaking countries, the decision to accept the Hong Kong Convention depends on their share in the global industry, and these figures change on a yearly basis. If Bangladesh had delayed signing for another year, we would have had to start our lobbying efforts from scratch in another country.’

Kan Matsuzaki

Personal contribution

Convincing shipbreaking companies

‘To get shipbreaking countries on board, we focused on economic arguments and spoke with shipbreaking companies during conferences,’ says Pantland. ‘We were able to convince them that safe working conditions were not only better for the workers but also for their companies.’ He explains that these arguments mainly revolved around the advantages for the companies’ image, access to new markets, and financial advantages, because banks and investors are increasingly interested in sustainability and safety standards. This approach resulted in a mentality shift within the industry. Companies now recognise the advantages of working in a green, clean, and transparent manner.

Cooperation with Mondiaal FNV

Both leaders commend collaborating with Mondiaal FNV, and Matsuzaki emphasises the important role of this collaboration in European lobbying. Pantland points to the impact of the FNV training programmes. ‘I remember a meeting with a shipyard owner who proudly displayed their safety manual, which turned out to be FNV’s manual.’

Effect of the Hong Kong Convention

Giving workers a say

Matsuzaki regards the Hong Kong Convention as ‘a means to organise workers and to give them a say’, because the convention reinforces trade unions in their fight for better working conditions and compliance with safety standards. Pantland puts forward examples: ‘In India, about one hundred shipyards have introduced improvements in line with the HKC guidelines, and half of the 40,000 to 60,000 workers have joined a trade union. In Bangladesh, just a few of the approximately 160 shipyards have adopted the HKC standards, and in Pakistan this number is also still very low.’

Pantland stresses that ‘more is needed, particularly in the field of health and safety for workers, both within and beyond the shipyard.’ Matsuzaki adds, ‘We also need to focus more on the downstream industry, where the protection of workers is an urgent matter.’

Making the industry safer greener, and fairer

Both leaders remain determined to make the industry safer, greener, and fairer. Matsuzaki is aiming for ‘a green industry with zero accidents and more trade union memberships,’ while Pantland envisions a future in which ‘workers and their unions are recognised as full partners in the industry, with strong social contracts that ensure that workers’ voices are also heard beyond the shipyards.’