By
Rebecca Gibson |
The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006 became a binding international law on 20 August 2013.
Although more than 45 ILO member states have ratified the convention, it is only binding for the first 30 countries that registered ratifications before 20 August 2012. All other member states will be bound by the law 12 months after they registered ratification.
“This convention is a milestone in maritime history,” said Guy Ryder, ILO director-general. “The product of tripartite dialogue and international cooperation, it enables decent working and living conditions for seafarers to be advanced, along with fair competition for shipowners in this, the most globalised of industries. I call on all countries with a maritime interest to ratify – if they have not yet done so – and urge governments and shipowners to work effectively to implement this convention.”
MLC, 2006 outlines seafarers’ rights to decent living and working conditions and aims to be globally applicable, readily updatable and uniformly enforced. Complementing key International Maritime Organization (IMO) conventions, MLC, 2006 consolidates and updates more than 68 international maritime labour standards and international regulatory regimes to promote competitiveness through reliable and efficient shipping. The international standards cover the training and certification of seafarers, ship safety and security, and the prevention of ship source pollution.
It is supported by the IMO, the International Transport Workers’ Federation, the International Shipowners Federation and the European Union. In addition, the Paris MOU and Tokyo MOU state port control bodies have adopted guidelines complying with MLC, 2006 to strengthen port inspections.
”It is now incumbent on all to ensure that ratification and legal implementation translate into law and practice so that the world’s seafarers can truly benefit from the protection of the convention and that shipowners who meet its decent work requirements can enjoy the benefits it offers,” said Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, ILO director of the International Labour Standards department. “The ILO will continue to work with governments and with seafarers’ and shipowners’ organisations and other key actors in the maritime industry to help ensure that the goals of the MLC, 2006 are achieved.”