Women sailors find it tough to land jobs

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

Women seafarers may have conquered the male bastion but then many who
aspire a career in the shipping industry are still being discriminated
as shipping companies prefer men to women while recruiting them.

Renuka who has completed here gradtuation from AMET university is
struggling to start her career in the sea as companies are ignoring
her and prefer her male colleagues.

“For the last one year, I have been searching for a job but could not
find one,” says Renuka.

Interestingly, her seniors are doing well in the shipping sector,” says Renuka.

And it is is true as many of Chennai-based AMET University’s women
sailors are sailing high. Neetu says that women have the capability
but they are being ignored in the shipping sector. “It is high time
the shipping ministry should think of having a special quota for women
in government ships so that we can have more women sailors. There is a
huge discrimination in the private sector,” says Neetu, who is on the
way to become a junior officer in Maersk.

Interestingly, like the men, these women seafarers also face the
problem of agents who promise to get them jobs if they pay Rs 5 to Rs
6 lakh. “I am from a middle class family, how can i afford such a huge
sum. I am qualified to get a job, why should I pay and get it,” she
says.

The agents menace has been one of the major issues bothering the
seafarers as Thursday is being celebrated as Day of Seafarer.

While many institutes are mushrooming, some legally and some
illegally, India is facing a problem to regulate them. V Manoj Joy,
national Co-ordinator, Sailors Helpline, says that while the theme for
this year is ‘Career at Sea’, officials are burying the real issues
facing the sector while painting a rosy picture.

Joy says that students spend around rs 9.5 lakh to complete a shipping
course after which they have to pay to the agents. “Are we encouraging
youngsters to joing the sector,” he reasons.

Interestingly, the shipping sector has been luring youngsters like
Vignesh in the southern Tamil Nadu, who paid a fortune to get enrolled
in a shipping institute in Thoothkudi and later his parents paid
additional two lakh to get his enrolled in a ship for training. “In
the end he met a watery grave with both agents and the institute
refusing to take the blame,” said Joy.

“It is high time these challenges being faced by the young sailors are
discussed so that one gets a clearer picture,” said Joy.