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Seafarers section secretary Jon Whitlow told them that: “Trade agreements should be an opportunity to improve workers’ rights and have as a primary objective the facilitation of full employment and decent working conditions for the workers of the contracting parties. Therefore, we believe that TTIP should include a strong, legally binding labour chapter, with recognition of ILO global labour standards as minimum standards and EU and US standards on social and labour rights and should exclude transport from the scope of the negotiations
“Despite this, and despite the clear success and valid economic and security reasons for national domestic maritime policies – including cabotage – the European Commission continues to insist on including maritime transport services in TTIP without providing any evidence that such inclusion would benefit either side or consideration of the detrimental impact it would have on national fleet development and employment of national seafarers in the EU and US.”
He concluded: “There is no reason for either side in TTIP to seek access to the other’s domestic cabotage regimes or to restrict measures by either party to grow their national first registers and national seafaring jobs. And therefore, since access to the international maritime trades on both sides of the Atlantic is already open, there is no reason for the European Commission to continue to call for a maritime services chapter in TTIP.”
ITF president Paddy Crumlin said that the ITF and its unions are committed to defending cabotage, which is in operation in 47 countries. He reiterated that failing to protect cabotage undermines sovereignty and has serious implications for maritime regions and communities, and for national security.