Many young mariners quit their jobs after working only five or six years

Senior seafarers and trade union officials urged the government on Tuesday to reduce or remove income tax on maritime workers and improve other benefits in order to attract more young people to the trade.

"It is not reasonable for seamen to pay income tax as high as those who take jobs on land," said Hu Yuexiang, a veteran captain of coastal vessels who works for the China Shipping Container Lines in Shanghai.

Chinese seafarers usually spend about eight to 10 months at sea annually, so they cannot enjoy the same public services as taxpayers working in their home country, he explained.

"As a captain, my monthly salary is about 75,000 yuan ($12,200), which may sound like a lot in China, but 20,000 yuan is taken out in income tax," he said, adding that seafarers usually rest for several months after each fixed contract but only receive minimal paid leave.

"It takes more than 10 years for one of us to become a captain but when that day finally arrives, you find out the pay of a captain only matches that of a small team leader at State-owned companies," he said.

Hu made the remarks at a news conference held in Shanghai to celebrate the Day of the Seafarers.

Shan Kai, a master mariner who works on crude carriers for overseas shipping companies based in countries such as Norway and Belgium, said the majority of international professional seafarers enjoy tax exemptions in their home countries.

"Now, personal income tax has become a major barrier for seafarers in the country to enjoy competitive payments in domestic labor market," he said.

The work seafarers do is full of pressure and hardship, said Wei Wei, director of the mariners' affairs department of the National Committee of the Chinese Seamen and Construction Workers' Union.

"Our seafarers have to leave their families, employers and homeland for a long time once they embark on an international voyage," she said.

"They have to fight against hazardous natural conditions and loneliness, as well as risks such as sudden attacks from pirates."

Because of those reasons, many young mariners quit their jobs after working only five or six years.

Coastal shipping companies find it harder to recruit seafarers in large or coastal cities and have to turn to less-developed western part of the country or rural areas, she added.

There are about 1.5 million seafarers worldwide, of which about 43 percent come from China.

"The number of seafarers only accounts for a small proportion of China's labor force, but they shoulder a significant role in the country's economic development because about 93 percent of China's foreign trade relies on marine transportation," Wei said.

She urged the central government to pay more attention to improving the pay and welfare of seamen, suggesting the development of the mariners' trade should be part of the country's national strategy to become a strong marine-based economy in the future.

Zheng Heping, deputy director of the Maritime Safety Administration, pledged that his administration will try its best to persuade the relevant ministries to jointly stipulate policies for tax reduction and exemption for seafarers.

Zheng also announced at the third China Seafarer Conference hosted in Shanghai on Tuesday that the country will ratify the Maritime Labor Convention very soon.

The Maritime Labor Convention, established by the International Labor Organization in 2006, aims to achieve both decent work for seafarers and secure economic interests in fair competition for quality ship companies.

By the end of June 2012, the convention was ratified by 28 International Labor Organization members.

Qiu Xiaoping, vice-minister of human resources and social security, said the authority will enhance inspections on employers to make sure they fully abide by laws that guarantee the rights and interests of maritime workers.

For example, employers of seafarers will be required to strictly follow rules on minimum age for employment, wages, work time and holidays, Qiu said.

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