Understanding the rights of a seafarer is important, especially for seafarers-to-be, who might have little knowledge of it. On 30 August, Young SMOU (YSMOU) officials headed down to the Singapore Maritime Academy for a Union Outreach talk – the first physical engagement ever since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when YSMOU held virtual outreaches. The session saw more than 50 students from the Diploma in Nautical Studies (DNS) and Marine Engineering (DMR) courses, who were waiting to join a ship by the end of this year.

The session kickstarted with a welcome address by YSMOU Chairman Dominic Yong, who began by sharing stories from seafarers. He shared with the students the advantages of being a Union member as well as SMOU’s work, such as collective bargaining agreement negotiation to ensure seafarers’ welfare is taken care of and handling grievances relating to unpaid wages, workplace accident compensation, and more. The audience also learnt about how SMOU went the extra mile to assist members with employment-related matters as well as some of the initiatives which the union had rolled out for members during the COVID-19 pandemic

As the nation progresses towards living with the COVID-19 pandemic, the union is now able to revert to organising physical activities like volunteering and team-building sessions to further engage with youth members. The students were also encouraged to voice any seafaring concerns or questions should they have any and were given the assurance that the Union will always be there to protect them as a member.