The Norwegian Seamen’s Union (NSU) celebrated its 100th anniversary on Sept. 25. The organization has some 10,500 members of which 9,000 are actively working at sea – on passenger and cargo ships, offshore installations and fishing vessels. With a presence in the U.S. since 1936, the NSU has had an office in Miami since 1983, headed up by Johan Oyen as its director. While there are fewer Norwegian seamen today than in 1983, Oyen and his team work and negotiate on behalf of all nationalities onboard the cruise ships, and also run a seamen’s center in San Juan.
The NSU’s objective has always been to improve working conditions and pay at sea. In conjunction with the anniversary, two massive books were published, tracing the history of the NSU in text and photos since 1910. The books will be reviewed in the next issue of the Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine.
