Vanuatu's acting Minister of Infrastructure and Public Utiliies, Ham Lini, has told the Vanuatu Seafarers Association the government will do its best to address the issues they face.
Ham Lini Photo: RNZ / Johnny Blades
At the end of a march marking International Seafarers Day the sailors showed the government a video detailing their concerns.
The video shows a long list of complaints about the ships they work on, including being underpaid, non stop working hours, diets of tinned fish and rice meals, grim living conditions and a lack of life insurance cover.
Many of the sailors work on foreign ships but they say ni-Vanuatu ship owners are among the worst when it comes to paying their crew on time.
