At a meeting at DFDS today, representatives of the Danish Association of Maritime Catering Establishments (DSRF), Danish Navigators and the Danish Catering Workers' Union (RBF) discussed with the management of DFDS the articles and reports that appeared on the TV channel TV2 and in the newspaper Ekstra Bladet last Sunday and Monday.
The parties feel that the generalisations on the part of Ekstra Bladet, in particular, regarding the alleged abuse of alcohol on board DFDS ships, were both unreasonable and lacking in objectivity.
The parties agree that safety at sea must always have the highest priority, and that the mere suspicion of any infringement of the safety rules demands immediate action.
Against this background, the respective employees' organisations will contact all their members via their respective shop stewards, emphasise the relevant rules, and inform them that the level of random checks will be increased. DFDS will also instruct the captains and shipboard managements to intensify their managerial control measures and routines on board the vessels.
Søren Jespersen
DFDS A/S
Ole Philipsen
DSRF
Bent Moos
BRF
Per Gravgaard
Navigation Managers