What we do

Disciplinary process

Hopefully you will not need this information but if something does happen on board, you should know what your rights are and how to handle it.

What is a disciplinary?
A disciplinary procedure is a process for your employer to deal with concerns they have about your work, conduct or absence.

Disciplinary procedures are different in each company. You can find yours in your CBA. It might be an annex or included in the Code of Conduct. You can ask Human Resources for a copy or contact us here: mail@nsu.org

What happens when I am disciplined?
Firstly, the company should tell you why you are being disciplined.

Disciplinary procedures are designed to give employees the chance to improve behaviour so they usually have several stages. The first stage is a verbal warning. The next levels are usually a written and then a final written warning.

In general, you should begin at the first level of this process and be given the opportunity to resolve any issues. If your employer feels that your behaviour has not improved, they may decide to take the process to the next level.

Serious offences and dismissal
When there is a serious offence, employers may skip the first stages of the disciplinary process and go straight to dismissal. Serious offences include, but are not limited to, alcohol, violence and stealing.

Employers must follow a clear procedure if they decide to dismiss someone. Details of this procedure are in your CBA.

Most CBAs have a provision for a master/captain’s hearing. This is a hearing where you are given the chance to explain your version of events. Usually there will be the captain, head of HR and head of department.

You also have the right to be accompanied by a colleague of your choice.

Two things to remember if you are dismissed and facing a master/captain's hearing:

  1. You should have somebody with you. Take time to find a colleague who is available to attend the hearing with you. They should take notes, ask questions and generally support you.
  2. Submit your version of events. Take time to write down your version of what happened. You should submit this to whoever is leading the hearing. This may be useful if you decide to appeal the decision later.

Appealing a dismissal
Every crew member has the right to appeal a dismissal. You should contact us as soon as you are home. We will ask you to fill in our initial claim form and send us as much detail as you can about how you were dismissed. If you have any other documents that might be useful, you should send them too, such as emails from the company.

If you are dismissed and you feel the decision was not fair, please contact us as soon as you can at mail@nsu.org

We will do our best to support you through this process.

ALL DISCIPLINARY QUERIES SHOULD BE SENT BY EMAIL.

PLEASE DO NOT USE FACEBOOK OR OTHER COMMUNICATION TO SEND DISCIPLINARY CASES.

Please note:
If your ship is covered by an NSU CBA, you will NOT be asked to pay for any of our services.

All your contact with us is CONFIDENTIAL.

We will NOT share information about you with the company unless you specifically ask us to.

 

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