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A consultancy posing as a union: it’s time to shut down this sham.
International seafarers are being denied independent union representation.
The so-called International Seafarers’ Union (ISU) is not what it claims to be. It was founded and is operated by the same individuals who run Lanibra – a private maritime consultancy that acts openly as an agent for shipowners. The ISU and Lanibra are two sides of the same coin.
This blatant conflict of interest means the ISU cannot represent workers. It exists to protect employer interests – not seafarers’ rights.
This is a clear violation of ILO Convention 98, which guarantees workers the right to organise without interference from employers. It also breaches Slovenian national law, which requires unions to be genuinely independent. A trade union cannot claim to represent seafarers when it’s run by those who profit from them.
The ITF has submitted a formal complaint to the Slovenian Labour Inspectorate and is now calling on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour, Luka Mesec, to launch a full investigation into this sham union and take immediate steps to uphold the law and the integrity of trade union rights in Slovenia.
Seafarers everywhere deserve real unions – not employer fronts dressed up as worker organisations.
Sign our open letter and demand that Slovenia acts to protect trade union rights and deregisters the ISU–Lanibra sham.
Our letter to Luka Mesec:
Luka Mesec
Deputy Prime Minister of Slovenia
Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunity
Dear Deputy Prime Minister Luka Mesec,
We write to you to express our deep concern about the activities of the International Seafarers’ Union (ISU), an organisation registered as a trade union in Slovenia.
It is a matter of fact that the ISU was founded and is operated by the same individuals who own and manage the Slovenian maritime consultancy firm, Lanibra d.o.o., namely, Branko Krznaric and his family. This blatant and undisguised conflict of interest undermines the credibility of the ISU as a trade union and strips seafarers of their right to independent representation.
Such a structure, wherein a consultancy with commercial interests in the maritime sector is inextricably linked with a trade union, runs counter to the principles of freedom of association and protection of the right to organise. This arrangement raises serious questions about the ISU’s independence, accountability, and its ability to operate in the interests of its members – rather than acting openly as an agent for shipowners.
As Slovenia is a signatory to ILO Convention 98, we believe that the operation of the ISU under the control of commercial interests is a direct breach of Article 2 of the Convention, which prohibits any acts of interference by employers in the establishment, functioning, or administration of workers’ organisations.
Furthermore, we urge your office to assess whether the close and overlapping relationship between ISU and Lanibra constitutes a criminal offence under Article 200 of Slovenia’s Criminal Code (KZ-1). Slovenian law sets out the conditions under which a trade union may be deemed representative, including the fundamental requirement that it must be “independent… of any employer.”.
Given that Lanibra openly acts as an agent for shipowners and shares leadership and operations with the ISU, it is not credible to claim that the ISU meets this standard.
We call on you to launch a full investigation into the relationship between ISU and Lanibra to determine whether laws and international obligations have been violated, and to take appropriate steps to protect and safeguard the fundamental rights of Slovenian and international seafarers, and to uphold the integrity of trade union rights in Slovenia.
We have addressed this matter to the Labour Inspectorate and provided a detailed dossier titled, A sham trade union undermining the maritime industry, which outlines the facts of the case.
We stand ready to provide any additional information or assistance you may require.
Yours sincerely,