The captain of one of Yang Ming’s ships submitted a letter through the company’s staff feedback channel to protest what he perceived as the company’s lack of concern for crew salary and benefits, and wi-fi connections on the ships.
As the media got wind of this, Yang Ming chairman Cheng Cheng-mount held a video conference with the captain on 14 December to assure him that seafaring staff are equally as important as shore-based staff and will review the captain’s feedback.
The captain, surnamed Li, is the skipper of the 6,589TEU YM Masculinity and has been with Yang Ming for 23 years.
In his 5,000-word letter, Li said that the Taiwanese liner operator had been too cost-conscious, to the extent of limiting salary increments and bonuses and restricting the bandwidth of wi-fi connections on the company’s fleet.
Li also alleged that insufficient personal protection equipment has been supplied to seafaring staff.
In a statement released by Yang Ming, the company stated that Cheng took the opportunity to chat with Li via video link as soon as YM Masculinity berthed in Singapore.
The statement said, “Captain Li said that the purpose of submitting the letter was to get the company to pay attention to the opinions of the crew, and he thanked the chairman for opening such a communication channel to the staff.
“Both sides fully communicated on topics such as crew salaries and benefits, crew talent cultivation, onboard network communication equipment and crew epidemic prevention norms. Misunderstandings were clarified and the company’s plan for crew management was conveyed.
“Chairman Cheng said that the wi-fi connections provided by Yang Ming should be of industry standard, but considering the crew’s hard work on ships under the epidemic, the company will speed up the relaxation of the bandwidth.”
Li added that he hoped that Yang Ming could understand the problems and feelings faced by the current crew, especially when Covid-19 has limited crew change and shore leave.
Cheng replied that he empathised and asked Li to assist in dealing with the crew’s psychological pressure, on behalf of the company.
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
