Scandal on luxury ship: employees suffer from exploitation and overtime!

Scandal on luxury ship: employees suffer from exploitation and overtime!

On April 22, 2024, a sensational control took place on the luxury cruise ship Viking Eistla, which belongs to the Basel shipping company Viking Cruises. Employees of the canton of Basel-Stadt were looking for victims of exploitation and human trafficking. During this review, 63 employees, mainly from China, Malaysia and Eastern Europe, were checked. The descriptions of the employees made it clear that there are considerable problems with working conditions and payment in the industry.

A Malaysian named Amira stated that the hotel manager put the employees under pressure to lie about their actual working hours so as not to endanger their employment. These and other reports throw a dark light on the supposed idyll of the river cruises, which are often represented as luxurious and relaxing.

Viking Cruises and the working conditions

Week after the incidents on the Viking Eistla went to the stockpile holding from Viking Cruises and experienced one of the best stock exchange starts in 2024. Torstein Hagen, CEO of Viking, is one of the 250 richest people in the world and is known for the founding of the shipping company in 1997. belonged. [bzbasel.ch] The shipping company is particularly tailored to a wealthy, educated audience for over 55 years and offers river cruises without casinos or children.

Despite the luxurious offers, reports from former employees show a worrying image of working conditions. Many employees receive seasonal contracts with a regular working time of 8 hours a day, 6 days a week, and a gross wage of 2500 euros for waiters and 3000 euros for cooks. However, employees report actual working hours from 14 to 17 hours, often without proper recording of overtime. A deduction of 400 euros for accommodation and meals is also considered problematic because such deductions are not permitted in Switzerland. [Bzbasel.ch] Michael Meier, a labor lawyer, expressed sharp criticism of these conditions.

In the industry in general, the working conditions for shipperers and the service staff are often precarious. Reports indicate that they often suffer from bad wages and excessive overtime. Petru Sinescu, a former waiter on a Swiss river cruise ship, reported on an extreme everyday work in which he worked over 95 hours a week and received only 809 euros net for 22 working days. [Srf.ch] This corresponds to an hourly wage of just 4 euros.

a growing market and its dark sides

Despite these problematic working conditions, the industry is booming. Around 300,000 tourists travel on European rivers every year and spend between CHF 1,000 and CHF 2,000 for a one -week trip. The industry is growing continuously by about 10 % per year, with over 300 river cruise ships in operation, and 21 new ships that are added in 2023. [SRF.CH] However, the umbrella organization IG River Cruise reports that the high fluctuation of the crew is a security risk, since many ships have to replace up to 50 % of their team.

An incident in Duisburg two years ago, which led to more than 20 injuries, was due to human failure, which further increased concern about the training and stability of the teams. In this context, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) checks the allocation of labor visa and compliance with minimum labor law. [SRF.CH]

Despite the efforts of Viking Cruises, to improve working conditions and offer higher wages for 2023, it remains to be seen whether the reality for the employees in the industry will actually change. [BZBASEL.CH]