***UK. IMarEST delves into the shortage of women in STEM
Four key points emerged from the Institute’s response to the call for evidence, to which members contributed:
The losses of women in marine STEM from industry and academia (known as the ‘leaky pipeline’) are not usually the result of women choosing not to progress their careers. Those who wish to succeed will do so. However, this requires a supportive employer and the willingness for an employer to offer women the opportunity to progress.
The issues facing women in STEM careers are not necessarily specific to STEM. Many of the issues apply to women across all careers and are related to work life balance and the consequences of having a family.
There are specificities in a career in marine STEM that make it even harder for women to succeed compared to other STEM careers. These include disproportionately low numbers of women in all roles and the additional challenges of working offshore or at sea.
Role models in STEM are vital. These role models must be carefully selected. There is a perception that many of the role models in Marine STEM have got to high level positions by compromising; by not having a family or by becoming “one of the boys” having the opposite effect.
To arrive at these conclusions the IMarEST outlined the response of members to questions including ‘Why do numbers of women in STEM academic careers decline further up the career ladder?’; ‘When women leave academia, what careers do they transition into? What are the consequences of scientifically trained women applying their skills in different employment sectors?’; ‘What should universities and the higher education sector do to retain women graduates and PhD students in academic careers? Are there examples of good practice?’; and ‘What role should the government have in encouraging the retention of women in academic STEM careers’.
David Loosley, Chief Executive of IMarEST commented: “There are some extremely interesting and revealing responses and I’m delighted so see our membership so engaged. The challenges of recruiting women into engineering, particularly in the UK are well documented, and as a professional body we are here to provide assistance in addressing this.”
IMarEST members who responded to the call for evidence are at different stages in their careers from students through to managing directors and employed across marine engineering, science and technology in the public, private and academic sectors. Most are based in the UK but some are based overseas, or have experience in working overseas. There was an equal split in response between those members who have children and those who do not.
Poorest paid of seafarers
When looking at women seafarers, according to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), women make up only an estimated 2% (23,000 individuals) of the world’s maritime workforce. Women seafarers work mainly in the cruise and ferries sector, often for Flags of Convenience (FOC) vessels which means they are subject to the labour laws (or lack of) of the country to which the ship is registered. The ITF report that these are among the worst paid and least protected of all jobs at sea. Women also tend to be younger, and fewer are officers than their male crew mates. The ITF rep-ort that the low number of women employed means that it is inevitable that discrimination and harassment will occur.
IMarEST survey backs up findings
The IMarEST, working with engineering recruitment company Matchtech, recently conducted a survey, and held a roundtable, chaired by Rear Admiral Nigel Guild CB, Chairman of the Engineering Council and a past President of IMarEST. Involving key marine industry representatives from the UK naval and defence, commercial, leisure, shipping and offshore sectors including academia, the survey and roundtable both addressed the issue of the employment of women in industry. Responses showed that over a third of marine engineers (36%) are working in companies with less than a 1% female workforce, while 84% of respondents have less than one in ten female employees in their organisation.
While the lack of women in engineering is a serious concern across the industry, the roundtable participants acknowledged the marine sector needs to address the reality that people choosing a maritime career are almost always following in a family tradition. The lack of female maritime engineers has improved in less than half (42%) of marine engineering companies during the last five years.
Moving forward
IMarEST and Matchtech are currently writing a white paper report (due for publication mid-end November 2013) resulting from the survey and roundtable. This will outline recommendations on how graduates, employers, education institutions and influencers can work together to ensure the marine industry is sustainable for the future, and most certainly look at the involvement of women in the industry.
About the Institute of Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST)
The IMarEST is an international membership body and learned society for all marine professionals. The IMarEST (a registered charity) is the first Institute to bring together marine engineers, scientists and technologists into one international multi-disciplinary professional body. It is the largest marine organisation of its kind with a worldwide membership of around 15,000 based in over 100 countries.
Working with the global marine community, the IMarEST promotes the scientific development of marine engineering, science and technology, providing opportunities for the exchange of ideas and practices and upholding the status, standards and expertise of marine professionals worldwide.
The IMarEST has a growing network of Corporate Marine Partners who benefit from a tailored programme to support each global organisation’s specific requirements. Packages provide companies with a competitive edge by investing in staff and supporting Initial and Continuous Professional Development, supporting local, national, or international promotional programmes, providing specialised recruitment solutions, accrediting training courses, creating bespoke networking events and providing company employees with access to one of the largest online knowledge resources – the IMarEST Virtual Library.
The IMarEST is a respected authority in every maritime country. It is a Non-Governmental Organisation with consultative status at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), observer status at the International Oceanographic Commission, and it has special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC), which facilitates its access to other international intergovernmental meetings where its specialized marine expertise is of particular use, e.g., the United Nations meetings on Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) and the work of the International Seabed Authority on marine mining. It is a nominated and licensed body of the Engineering Council (UK), a member of the Science Council and has significant links with many other maritime organisations worldwide.
IMarEST runs a series of industry leading and technically excellent events and conferences as well as publishing internationally recognised publications: Marine Engineers Review (MER); Shipping World and Shipbuilder; Maritime IT and Electronics; Marine Scientist; and Offshore Technology. www.imarest.org
***Boikotten i gang
Over 50 møtte opp da boikotten av Risavika Terminal AS ble satt i gang klokka ni i dag tidlig.
Det er liten tvil om at Transportarbeiderforbundet har LO i ryggen, for det var mange LO-forbunds faner som vaiet i den sure vinden rett utenfor Risavika Terminal i dag. Forbundsleder Roger Hansen var svært fornøyd.
– Det er flere her en forventet og det er gledelig at kravet vårt om tariffavtale har så stor støtte, sier Hansen til Transportarbeideren.
Blokkerte porten
Til stor misnøye fra ledelsen i Risavika Terminal stilte aksjonistene seg opp foran porten inn til terminalen da Roger Hansen holdt sin appell. Der ble de stående, til tross for Hansens svært milde oppfordring om at man tok med seg faner og flagg og slapp trafikken fram.
– Det er ikke overraskende at porten ble blokkert, og det viser at kravet om tariffavtale står sterkt. Vi skal likevel holde oss til reglene i arbeidslivet, og derfor ba jeg folk flytte seg, men jeg kan jo ikke bære de vekk, sa Hansen med et smil.
Dialog
Administrerende direktør i Risavika Terminal AS, Kurt Ommundsen var langt fra like fornøyd, og minnet på at en blokade var lovstridig.
– Vi respekterer at Transportarbeiderforbundet vil fremme sitt syn, men jeg håper at de tar til fornuft. Dialog er den eneste måten å få løst dette på, sa Ommundsen til Transportarbeideren.
I forkant av aksjonen hadde terminalen hengt opp et stort skilt med teksten «Hvorfor? Vi har jo tilbudt dere jobb!».
– Havnedriften har vært slik i 50 år, hvorfor kaller dere det sosial dumping nå? Spurte Ommundsen direkte til Roger Hansen.
– Første seier
Skiltet ble for øvrig sett på som en provokasjon fra de frammøtte fra fagbevegelsen, og bidro i sterk grad til at spontanblokaden ikke fulgte Roger Hansens oppfordring. Det tok imidlertid ikke lang tid før det ble inngått en avtale mellom aksjonistene og Risavika Terminal om at blokaden ville bli hevet dersom skiltet ble fjernet. Det skjedde kun 45 minutter etter at aksjonen startet.
– Det var den første seieren, smilte Roger Hansen fornøyd.
LO støtter kravet
LO har hele tiden støttet og bistått Norsk Transportarbeiderforbund i kravet om å opprette tariffavtale i Risavika Terminal i Stavanger. Forbundet er i sin fulle rett til å iverksette lovlig boikott av Risavika havn for å framtvinge en tariffavtale. LO ber arbeidsgiverne om å ta til fornuft å innfri kravet, sier LOs første nestleder Tor-Arne Solbakken, i en melding.
ITF-støtte
Også den internasjonale transportarbeiderføderasjonen, ITF, er kommet med en støtteerklæring til Risavika-arbeiderne.
***MLC-certificated ship had cockroach infestation |
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A flag of convenience ship with Maritime Labour Convention certification was caught in a UK port with rotten food, out of date provisions and a cockroach infestation of the galley and crew accommodation areas. The Marshall Islands-registered bulk carrier George was held at Ellsemere Port after a port state control inspection found 12 deficiencies and a port health inspection resulted in a prohibition order being served because of the condition of the galley and the food. Port health officers said the rotten food, mould and dirt in the kitchen, fridge and stores posed ‘an imminent risk of injury of health to the crew onboard due to the significant risk of food contamination posed’. Nautilus/ITF inspector Tommy Molloy said he was concerned that the vessel had only recently been audited and passed by MLC compliance by a classification society. ‘It is difficult for me to understand how this can be the case when the deficiencies are so apparent,’ he added. Problems with the contracts of employment for the Egyptian and Syrian seafarers onboard should have been picked up by any basic check, said Mr Molloy. FROM DADDER:
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***Longshore leader attacked for organizing ICTSI workers at Honduran port
Honduran longshore leader Victor Crespo
The death threats against longhsore union leader Victor Crespo started soon after he began organizing workers at Puerto Cortez in Honduras where International Container Terminal Services Incorporated (ICTSI) was awarded a lucrative 30-year contract last February to operate in Central America’s only deepwater port.
The death threats were honored during the early morning hours of September 14 when armed thugs broke into Crespo’s home to attack him, but left when neighbors awakened, saw what was happening, and caused the attackers to flee. As the thugs departed, they warned him to stop organizing dockworkers – and vowed to return in a few hours if he was still there to carry out their death threats.
Crespo, who serves as General Secretary of the Sindicato Gremial de Trabajadores del Muelle (SGTM), is being temporarily sheltered in another country until the Honduran Government guarantees his safety and honors the union’s application to represent dockworkers at ICTSI’s new operation. Crespo and his union are being assisted by the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), a global federation of unions including the ILWU.
“Maritime unions around the world are learning about the threat that privatization and corporate greed pose to human rights,” said ILWU International Vice President (Mainland) Ray Familathe who also serves as Second Vice Chair of the ITF Dockers Section.
“Victor Crespo is one of many courageous union leaders on the front lines who deserve our support.” ICTSI won a controversial “public-private partnership” with the Honduran government and a wealthy private bank (Ficohsa). The deal anticipates ICTSI will spend $624 million over the next ten years for new terminal facilities, including 12 cranes that are expected to move 600,000 containers a year – each generating a royalty of $20. ICTSI operates internationally at 27 ports, including the Port of Portland where it has blatantly violated terms of the ILWU-PMA contract and has been the target of legal action by both the ILWU and Pacific Maritime Association.
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