Container operations made billions for company

Crumbs! Maersk Angers Union with Cake Eating Message
Billions of profits to celebrate, Maersk wants crews to scoff some cakes...

Nautilus has condemned a message from container shipping giant Maersk urging its sea staff to eat cake to celebrate the company’s recent announcement of increased profits.

In a message sent to the fleet, Maersk Line chief operating officer Morten Engelstoft described the company’s ‘impressive’ third quarter results, with US$4.2bn profits recorded by the AP Møller Group – of which some $2.25bn was chalked up by the container business.

Mr Engelstoft said the ‘everyday commitment’ of seastaff to reducing costs had a real impact on the overall result and he urged crews to join shore-based staff in the Copenhagen office in celebrating the results with some traditional Danish lagkage (cream cake).

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson commented, ‘It is clear from the feedback we have had from members in the fleet that seafarers are more likely to be choking back their anger than celebrating with management ashore.

‘The profits have been achieved on the back of job losses for highly skilled and experienced personnel, and cuts in operating costs that have left some ships with food budgets that would barely run to covering the costs of cooking cream cakes or providing something to eat them off, since paper serviettes were banned.’

Mr Dickinson urged Maersk to listen to the objection that has generated from the ‘cream cake’ call, with seafarers on more than 40 of the company’s containerships joining a protest against the message. ‘Instead of cake, seafarers are looking for genuine recognition of their contribution to Maersk’s recovery over the past year,’ he points out.

‘This means delivering on our repeated requests for a job security agreement and a demonstrable commitment to the future of European officers, with a defined strategy for recruitment, training and retention.

‘It is time for Maersk to give its staff more than mere crumbs of comfort, but to plough some of those profits back into investment in the maritime professionals they need for the safe and efficient operation of their ships,’ Mr Dickinson added.

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