Social responsibility
One of our company’s most valuable assets is the absolutely equal treatment of our personnel, no matter what nationality or cultural background. We are one.
Most of our employees work at sea
At the end of 2024, the group had 253 (299) employees of which 76% worked at sea and 24% ashore. Out of our own employees, 16% were female and 84% male. As typical for the industry, sea personnel is heavily dominated by male employees, which accounted for 92% of seafarers. On the shore personnel, the situation is more balanced with female representing 42% and male 58% of the workforce.
The number of seafarers working onboard AtoB@C Shipping’s owned and pooled vessels and employed by the external ship management company increased by 47% to 102 due to the addition of four new vessels to the fleet.
Employee wellbeing and health
Employee satisfaction measured by PeoplePower index decreased slightly from AA+ to AA but remained clearly over the general norm. When comparing the sea and shore personnel, numerical results declined slightly in both employee categories. Shore personnel achieved rating A+ while the sea personnel remained in AAA-rating.
All employees are covered by occupational health care and the cover is more extensive than required by the law. The aim of the extensive occupational healthcare services is in preventative actions and the results have been positive as the amount of sick leaves among sea personnel has decreased. Employees have also access to sport and culture benefit, which supports the wellbeing.
The company has a remote work policy, which guides the flexible working arrangements in the shore personnel. As employee health and safety remains the responsibility of the employer even during remote work, employees can request stand up desks, work chairs and extra screens to improve the ergonomics at the home offices. The equipment is purchased by the company and borrowed to employees.
The coverage of our mobile intranet solution for seafarers was expanded in late 2023 and covers now all seafarers working onboard owned vessels. The mobile intranet makes it possible for them to access important information such as company news, announcements and HR information through an easy-to-use mobile interface. The reception from the crew has been overwhelmingly positive.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
We are committed to respecting internationally accepted human rights as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Our Code of Conduct defines a common set for rules for the Group’s entire personnel. We reject any discrimination based on education, competence, position, personality, way of life, work experience, ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, nationality, abilities or other qualities.
The Code of Conduct is further reinforced by Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy. The purpose of the policy is to communicate to all our stakeholders, including employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders, and the communities we serve, our commitment to promoting and upholding equity, diversity and inclusion throughout all our business activities.
The work to increase awareness of the diversity, equity and inclusion continued in 2024. We have a multicultural workforce especially onboard vessels and although the results from employee engagement surveys indicate that there are no significant issues, we want to further increase the understanding of the matter by providing training for the supervisors and in the second phase to all personnel. In 2024, all management and supervisors both ashore and onboard participated in training, which aimed to provide practical guidance how to build more inclusive workplace and how to recognise the unconscious biases in our behaviour. Towards the end of the year, a set of training videos were launched for the whole personnel.
Collective bargaining agreements and employee representation onboard
All vessels owned by ESL Shipping are flying the Finnish flag and consequently Finnish legislation and collective bargaining agreements apply to all employees working onboard. ESL Shipping is a member of the Finnish Shipowners’ Association, which negotiates collective bargaining agreements with the trade unions representing seafarers. The unions negotiate collective bargaining agreements for both Finnish and non-EU seafarers. All three unions have appointed employee representatives.
All AtoB@C Shipping’s owned and time-chartered vessels are covered by valid ITF agreements. Our long-term partner GoTa Ship Management is the employer of the seafarers working onboard our owned and pooled vessels.
When taking a vessel into time-charter, we ensure that the working conditions and contracts of employment follow international regulations including remuneration.
Collective bargaining agreements and employee representation ashore
In the Finnish system, collective bargaining agreements are usually negotiated between the employer and employee unions rather than by a company itself. Our parent company Aspo Plc is a member of the Technology Industry Employers of Finland, which negotiates collective bargaining agreements for shore personnel with relevant trade unions.
In Finland, the shore personnel has not formally organised itself or elected a representative as stipulated by the Employment Contracts Act or related collective agreements. Although employee organisation is not compulsory, the company follows the terms of the universally binding collective agreements, specifically those concerning the Technology Industry's salaried and senior salaried employees.
In Sweden, the shore personnel is covered by the national legislation and individual contracts of employment since the company is not subject to any collective or industry-specific agreements imposed by local labour market entities. Nonetheless, we align with legal requirements concerning matters such as primary employment terms and employee representation and organising workplace cooperation. The company has a systematic work environment management plan, which details the plan to maintain and provide a safe working environment for all employees.