CEBU CITY, Philippines - The wives of crew members of the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars on Thursday expressed fears the financial assistance they will get would be a pittance compared to the support relatives of passengers who died in the tragedy would enjoy.
The family of each of the passengers who died would possibly get P200,000 in insurance benefits, GMA regional network news Balitang Bisdak reported Thursday.
Based on the collective bargaining agreement (CBA), each crew member is entitled to P20, 000 in insurance benefit for natural death and P40, 000 for accidental death.
It added that the wives of the missing crew members said that Sulpicio Lines, owner of the ill-fated vessel, might use the CBA in determining the amount of financial assistance.
Most of the workers in the MV Princess of the Stars were members of the Associated Labor Union (ALU), which admitted that the union overlooked insurance concerns in the event of death of its members.
The report said that ALU is trying to negotiate with Sulpicio management for higher financial assistance for the crew who did not survive in the tragedy. - GMANews.TV