INDIAN seamen working for foreign shipping companies are to get higher pay and better service conditions.
This follows the first national level negotiations held in Bombay recently between the seamen's unions and representatives of foreign shipping companies.
The talks resulted in agreements in respect of both officers and ratings.
The new two-year pact for ratings, which will come into force on January 1, provides for a 10 per cent increase in monthly wages.
The monthly pay for a benchmark able seaman will be roughly US$1,100. The benchmark master's pay will rise from $2,950 to about $3,100.
The officers' pay package has been sent to the industry's Fair Practices Committee for ratification, and is expected to be settled shortly.