Tuvalu Overseas Seamen's Union | |
| Headquarters | Funafuti, Tuvalu |
|---|---|
| Location | |
Members | 600 |
Key people | Valo Valo, general secretary |
| Affiliations | International Transport Workers' Federation |
The Tuvalu Overseas Seamen's Union (TOSU) is the only registered trade union in Tuvalu. It represents workers on foreign ships, and has a membership of 600.
The TOSU is affiliated with the International Transport Workers' Federation.
Tuvaluans are well known for their seafaring skills, with the Tuvalu Maritime Training Institute on Amatuku motu (island), Funafuti, providing training to approximately 120 marine cadets each year so that they have the skills necessary for employment as seafarers on merchant shipping.[1] TMTI now operates under the Tuvalu Maritime Training Institute Act 2000.
A number of Tuvaluans are employed as merchant seamen on cargo ships on contracts of up to 12 months. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) estimates that 800 Tuvaluan men are trained, certified and active as seafarers. The ADB estimates that, at any one time, about 15 percent of the adult male population works abroad as seafarers. The Ahrenkiel Group of Germany is the shipping company that is the primary employer of Tuvaluan seafarers.[2]