Maritime Labour Convention
The ILO's Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006 provides comprehensive rights and protection at work for the world's more than 1.2 million seafarers. The Convention aims to achieve both decent work for seafarers and secure economic interests in fair competition for quality shipowners. An estimated 90% of world trade is carried on ships and seafarers are in this sense essential to international trade and the international economic and trade system. The new labour standard consolidates and updates more than 68 international labour standards related to the Maritime sector adopted over the last 80 years.
The Convention sets out seafarers' rights to decent conditions of work on a wide range of subjects, and aims to be globally applicable, easily understandable, readily updatable and uniformly enforced. It has been designed to become a global instrument known as the "fourth pillar" of the international regulatory regime for quality shipping, complementing the key Conventions of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The decision by the ILO to move forward to create this major new maritime labour Convention was the result of a joint resolution in 2001 by the international seafarers’ and ship owners’ organizations, also supported by governments. They pointed out that the shipping industry is “the world’s first genuinely global industry” which “requires an international regulatory response of an appropriate kind – global standards applicable to the entire industry”.
Full content of the MLC can be viewed at the ILO website here
The list of countries that has ratified are as in this list.
We should know most of the countries have not ratify the convention and my not ratify at all since they never have ratified the ILO in the 1st place. The ships flying flags of these countries can be assured they will face scrutiny from the inspectors after the MLC 2006 come into force fully probably in 2012. The loosers will be the shipping companies since they will have to compete with the companies of which countries have ratified the MLC 2006.
Please read here the interview with Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, Director of the ILO's International Labour Standards Department for the benefits of MLC 2006 and the ILO members function.
Among the Asian countries Singapore has become the 1st country to ratify the MLC convention and missing as mentioned above Malaysia will not ratify the convention. They normally will come up with their own set of procedures based on Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 that complies as close as possible to MLC 2006. But nevertheless the Marine Department and Ministry of Transport shall know that the life onboard Malaysian flag registered vessels will be difficult especially at the initial stages of full implementation of the convention. Charterers wants to make sure our vessels have set of rules that comply to MLC 2006 or risk of loosing business. Good quality seafarers from another country may not want to join Malaysian registered vessel for the fear of not being treated as per MLC 2006 requirements.
For all the seafarers who still involved in the industry somehow i would advise to go through MLC 2006 and understand them fully.
Good luck
Capt.Murali Subramaniam
The Convention sets out seafarers' rights to decent conditions of work on a wide range of subjects, and aims to be globally applicable, easily understandable, readily updatable and uniformly enforced. It has been designed to become a global instrument known as the "fourth pillar" of the international regulatory regime for quality shipping, complementing the key Conventions of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The decision by the ILO to move forward to create this major new maritime labour Convention was the result of a joint resolution in 2001 by the international seafarers’ and ship owners’ organizations, also supported by governments. They pointed out that the shipping industry is “the world’s first genuinely global industry” which “requires an international regulatory response of an appropriate kind – global standards applicable to the entire industry”.
Full content of the MLC can be viewed at the ILO website here
The list of countries that has ratified are as in this list.
We should know most of the countries have not ratify the convention and my not ratify at all since they never have ratified the ILO in the 1st place. The ships flying flags of these countries can be assured they will face scrutiny from the inspectors after the MLC 2006 come into force fully probably in 2012. The loosers will be the shipping companies since they will have to compete with the companies of which countries have ratified the MLC 2006.
Please read here the interview with Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, Director of the ILO's International Labour Standards Department for the benefits of MLC 2006 and the ILO members function.
Among the Asian countries Singapore has become the 1st country to ratify the MLC convention and missing as mentioned above Malaysia will not ratify the convention. They normally will come up with their own set of procedures based on Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 that complies as close as possible to MLC 2006. But nevertheless the Marine Department and Ministry of Transport shall know that the life onboard Malaysian flag registered vessels will be difficult especially at the initial stages of full implementation of the convention. Charterers wants to make sure our vessels have set of rules that comply to MLC 2006 or risk of loosing business. Good quality seafarers from another country may not want to join Malaysian registered vessel for the fear of not being treated as per MLC 2006 requirements.
For all the seafarers who still involved in the industry somehow i would advise to go through MLC 2006 and understand them fully.
Good luck
Capt.Murali Subramaniam
