Indonesia's anchorages are bustling with activity, resembling rural bazaars, lined with small wooden boats selling fruit. Most of the people who drive these boats are women, which is rare among the crew.
Standing on the open-air deck of the wooden boat, you can feel the slightly fishy humid air and the bustling and chaotic scene, which is full of life and very down-to-earth.
However, you may think that these locals are kind and simple, but in fact, you need to be extra careful when anchoring at an anchorage in Indonesia, because many wooden boats that seem to sell fruit actually have a hidden mission - stepping on points!
They will observe every ship anchored here to see if there is a poor sense of theft and whether the boat is easy to climb. In the dead of night, they climbed onto the freighter with a clear division of labor to commit theft.
Some Indonesians even went directly to the boat with murder weapons to rob them. Therefore, being on duty at an anchorage in Indonesia requires extra care.
Fortunately, our ship is currently empty, the freeboard of the ship is particularly high, and the anchor chain hole in the bow is directly welded with iron sheet, the safety factor is very high, it can be said to be foolproof.
Indonesia's backwardness has led to an imperfect port infrastructure, resulting in many large cargo ships being unable to dock at suitable places and having to load at anchorages.
This large bulk carrier, parked in the open sea, with all hatches open, and small barges to transfer coal from the port, is inefficient and has a lot of cargo damage, but in this relatively backward country, it can only be so.
I stood on the bridge and communicated with them through the high-frequency intercom, and learned that they had been anchored and loaded for half a month, because the weather affected the normal operation of the barge.
While slow loading efficiency is good news for crews, it is a big problem for ship owners, as each day of delay incurs a high economic cost.
I looked at the blue sky, surrounded by anchored ships and small wooden boats, and listened to the laughter of the crew on deck, and felt as if I was in a mood of "the wind blows its leaves again, the grass bears its seeds, and it is very beautiful for us to stand without speaking".
As I returned to my room from my anchorage shift, a note caught my attention. That's the salary schedule for our crew, which is printed and distributed to each crew member at the end of each month, with a special emphasis on not losing it because it will be inspected by the relevant authorities when it docks at the port.
Looking at the amount on the payroll was a far cry from the amount on my bank card, it was no surprise to me, an old sailor. After all, I've changed ships a lot of times, and every single one of them.
Our actual salary was negotiated before we got on board and were transferred to our bank card every month. This huge payslip is just for the local authorities to check.
I don't know why such hypocrisy is needed, and the industry as a whole, I don't know. Next, I will continue to talk about what happens next.
I was listening to a song in my room when I was suddenly interrupted by a violent knock on the door. The third female intern walked in with her mobile phone, and I smiled and asked her, "What's wrong, sister?" ”
She said worriedly, "Brother, we have paid our salary." I smiled and responded, "Isn't that a good thing?" Why do you look unhappy? She looked at the arrival message on her phone again and told me, "My salary was paid in error." ”
I asked, with some curiosity, "What's going on?" How much money was sent wrong? She walked up to me, handed me a text message, and said, "Look, it's only 4,800 yuan." ”
I did the math a little and said to her, "You're still an intern, and the salary is much higher than when I first started my internship." I was only $500 a month at the time. ”
But she immediately took out the salary slip issued by the chief officer and asked me seriously: "Brother, you see, the salary slip issued by the first mate says that my salary is 2,400 US dollars, and according to the exchange rate of six yuan, I should also receive more than 10,000 yuan in the account."
Does the company do wholesale sales? Although she seemed a little innocent when she first got on the ship, I patiently told her: "This payslip is fake, and the salary on it is the standard of international sailors, which is used to cope with inspections, and the actual payment must be much lower than this." ”
Although I patiently explained for a long time, the persistent intern could not understand and kept asking, "Why are you lying?" Why fake payslips?
Isn't this deception? As she spoke, she asked me, "How much do you pay?" "My payroll card is tied to my wife's mobile phone, and I don't know the exact amount.
I was sure that the owner's representative would not treat me badly, but the female intern did not believe me at all. At this time, she happened to see the salary slip on my desk, which said 12,000 dollars a month, and asked, "Brother, do you earn so much?" ”
I quickly explained, "My salary statement is also fake, and the actual amount received is about 20,000 yuan." As I explained, I told her, "Not only us, but all domestic shipping companies are doing this routine, and they will pay a fake salary every month, and the real salary amount will be negotiated when the contract is signed before boarding the ship." ”
But the female intern was still not satisfied and kept asking me "Why?" "But it's the same in the whole industry, how do I know why? We talked for about ten minutes, but I couldn't convince her, so I suggested that she go to the bridge and ask her sister if she wouldn't lie to her.
But the female intern insisted, "What if I didn't ask her?" Her aunt is the leader of the company, and she will definitely not tell the truth. I reluctantly said, "If you really don't understand, you can ask the captain." ”
I thought she was just talking, but I didn't expect her to really go to the captain, and she said angrily, "Just ask, who is afraid of whom?" I'm going to have to ask for an explanation. ”
At the top of the staircase, I met the captain who was preparing to inspect the work on deck. At this time, the female intern third officer ran over and anxiously asked the captain a doubt.
The captain patiently answered for her, but the female trainee third mate did not approve and insisted on amending the payslip or making up the arrears.
The captain solemnly told her that the payroll could not be amended, it was made in accordance with the international crew salary standard, and the amendment would be punished by the relevant authorities. Moreover, her real salary has already been negotiated and cannot be repaid.
The captain gave a solution, providing the company leader with *** for her to ask directly, or complain to the relevant departments when the ship docked. The captain left after speaking, but the *** of the company's leader he would not give the intern easily.
When our boat arrived at the Indonesian dock with the help of two tugboats, we were met by two plump and swarthy inspectors. In this place, it is usual for the inspector to board the ship and ask us for something, but it is not difficult to deal with.
But what happens next? Hear me on.
As I stood at the gangway, playing with my phone, two inspectors boarded the boat. I informed the captain over the intercom, and the captain asked me to take them to the first floor of the first officer's office, where he was preparing cigarettes and tea for them.
So, I went to the office of the first mate with two inspectors. As soon as they sat down, they asked for a meal. In desperation, I informed the chef and remade a new meal of pasta for them.
The so-called pasta is tomato and egg noodles, and the noodles are spicy noodles that we bought from Korea, and looking at the combination of this dish, I felt very awkward and found it difficult to swallow.
But even so, the two prosecutors ate with relish in the office of the first mate, and although the chef had prepared knives and forks for them, they grabbed them casually with their hands as if they were at home, and ate them with their mouthfuls full of oil.
While eating, they also asked me to prepare two cups of coffee for them. I had no choice but to run to the bridge, brew the coffee beans that the female third officer had placed on the bridge in a disposable cup, and serve them to them.
Looking at their eating appearances, I was amazed at the management of the place and at the same time understood why their bellies were so big. Soon after, the first mate came over with the gifts, greeted them with a smile, and took the initiative to divide the gifts into two parts and stuff them into the backpacks they carried when they boarded the ship.
Everything seemed so natural, so smooth.
After two inspectors stayed on our ship for an hour, we were about to leave when the third officer rushed over with her mobile phone and payslip. I immediately stopped her in Chinese, reminding her that this was no joke and that she should not be looking for trouble.
Although I tugged her a few times, I couldn't stop her from rushing to defend her rights. She first showed the inspector the arrival information on her mobile phone, and then handed over the pay stub and briefly explained her situation.
The prosecutors, perhaps because they saw that it was a woman, or because it was their duty, suddenly became serious, and immediately turned on the body camera and recorded the problems of the female trainee third officer.
As they were about to leave, they suddenly turned around and asked to see the captain. In desperation, I had no choice but to take them to the captain. The captain was very surprised to see this scene, and the female trainee third mate was also there.
The inspectors put the payslips on the table in front of the captain and asked angrily in non-standard Chinese: "What's going on?" Please explain. "The captain understood what was happening, but could not explain it because his pay stub was also fake.
The captain kept laughing and apologizing, and motioned for me to pour water for the inspectors. Originally, it was an easy thing to call at a port in Indonesia, and many flaws could be turned a blind eye, but now it has become very passive.
While the captain was talking to the two inspectors, the first mate motioned for me to take the female trainee third officer out. I immediately understood what the first mate meant, walked out the door with a smile and the female trainee third officer, and told her that we were waiting outside the door and not to disturb their conversation.
Knowing that the two prosecutors were defending themselves, the third officer did not continue to speak, turned around and followed me away. Originally, we just wanted to stand at the door and wait for the result, but someone kept talking in the captain's room, and half an hour passed, and still didn't come out.
After my persuasion, the third female intern agreed to leave the scene and returned to her room. At eleven o'clock in the afternoon, the two inspectors left, and the captain personally escorted them off the ship.
The captain looked very angry as he watched them go away, and he only heard him say, "I have never seen such a serious little girl." Then he went to the room of the third female intern.
There was actually a reason for the captain's behavior, because the real third mate was on the bridge at the moment, and he chose to talk about it in front of her sister, because her sister was an old sailor and could understand the truth.
After arriving at the bridge, the captain's attitude immediately changed, and he said to the female trainee third officer: "You have explained to me the problem of payroll, but you have to insist on reflecting the situation, and now I am telling you clearly, if in Indonesia, 10,000 yuan can be solved, but in developed countries, it may be a crisis of bankruptcy of shipping companies." ”
After speaking, the captain said to the female third officer: "You are an old crew member, you should understand the truth, you can help me explain it well, don't make trouble for me again." With the female third officer apologizing, the captain left the bridge.
At this moment, the third female intern seemed to realize her mistake and shed tears of grievance.