Wow. That is really bad. I remember reading years ago that even the Greeks were paying a Matros $1500 a month. It’s only a few hundred dollars a month more than I was making as a Deckboy fifty-two years back.
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If the term “minimum wage” is used here the same way as in the USA it’s not a very useful number to compare anything to.
I get what you’re saying, but with the influx of weird registries (e.g. San Marino, Gabon)
you know it’s what they’re most likely to pay.
I guess it will be enough to still be a Big Chief back in your native country.
Yes but there has to be a bottom to compare to. In 2005 while working a contract with one of the major cruise lines I aided a Filipino electrician maritime school grad, in getting promoted to 2nd electrician which moved his pay up to $2300/month. Three years ago aided a really sharp Filipino get a similar job with the same company. Last week he said his pay is $2700/mo. He’s somewhat content but the Philippine government recently passed a law that 80% of all pay mariners make must be returned to the Philippines via the agency. Previously it was just base pay but now it includes overtime. Doesn’t leave them much money for expenses and is especially annoying if the agency screws them on the exchange rate and the family back home gambles or drinks the money away.
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The plan was always supposed to be that monkey flags should be pressured to accord higher wage to mariners, in order to nudge those operators toward Western (ideally U.S. flag) registries. Not happening anymore.
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Yep, the guys I spoke of work for a company headquartered in Miami, FL but… the flag is Bahamas less than 200 miles away. 
Yup, just the thought of the guy who ran Carnival used to enrage me. Every day I’m more overjoyed to be retired. It’s what keeps me returning to this forum.
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The $690 quoted would be for a 48 hour week and a 30 day month. A rating normally has a minimum number of hours of overtime available to be worked each month usually about 150 hours at time and a half bringing his gross to $798. Wow the unemployment benefit is way better here but I guess that is the wage of a trainee.
What plan was that?
I admit to overstating it as a “plan”. We used to have this type of discussion aboard ships, especially when a trade mag would hint at such an idea. This was late 70s into the early 80s. Haven’t heard such talk since, as FOC snowballed into the monster it is today. I stated some time ago that, back then, half the ships listed in the daily papers marine log arrivals and departures were U.S.-flag ships.
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When I went to sea, (1959) my pay as a Deckboy on a Norwegian flag tanker was NOK 320/mth. (incl. “Tanktillegg”)
When calling at US ports an additional “Amerikatillegg” was applied,
PS> Exchange rate was NOK 7.15 to 1 USD at the time.(Bretton Woods system)
BTW; The rate has fallen from NOK 11.45 on 19. Jan. 2025 to10.48 to 1 USD today.
Here is what I was making as a Jungman in 1974, having spent the previous year as officer messboy. 1033 kronor; the exchange rate was about 4.40 to a dollar, IIRC. I was taking the wheel almost immediately, as we were short a couple of deckhands in a 42-man crew. Crazy I still have all my pay vouchers from those years!
Edit: as you can see, I was in a Swedish ship
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You truly are a diigent book keeper 
I still have my original union book from those years, too. My file cabinet is chock-a-block with dispatches, pay vouchers, night-mate vouchers, and discharges. Somewhere, a forest is missing.
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Well, it seems that I can add, but not subtract.