Advantages of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006

Resource list | 22 March 2011

A global reference on maritime labour issues

  • 4th pillar of quality shipping (with SOLAS, STCW, MARPOL)
  • A comprehensive set of basic maritime labour principles and rights
  • Simplification of international requirements
  • A strong enforcement regime, backed by a certification system
  • Verifiable compliance with basic minimum employment and social requirements
  • Application to all ships including those of non-ratifying Members
  • Improved working and living conditions for seafarers
  • A more secure and responsible maritime workforce
  • A more socially responsible shipping industry
  • Improved social dialogue at all levels
  • Seafarers better informed of their rights and remedies
  • Improved supervision at all levels: the ship, the company, the flag state, the port state, and the ILO
  • Global and uniform compliance and verification
  • Improved possibilities of keeping labour conditions up to date
  • Permanent review of maritime labour situation
  • Positive impact on safety at sea
  • Positive impact on the protection of the environment

For Governments

  • Simplification of reporting obligations (One Convention rather than many)
  • Wider powers of enforcement on all ships
  • Improved quality of shipping services
  • Improved protection of the environment
  • Additional flexibility with firmness of rights and flexible as how to implement, making the Convention easier to ratify and implement
  • Certification system mandatory only for ships over 500 GT
  • Protection against unfair competition from substandard ships through “No more favourable treatment” for ships of non-ratifying countries
  • Implementation of mandatory requirements through measures that are substantially equivalent, except for Part V
  • Advantages given to ships of ratifying countries

For Shipowners

  • A more level playing field to help ensure fair competition and to marginalize substandard operations
  • Will benefit from a system of certification, including a certification system possible for ships less than 500 GT, if the Shipowner so requests
  • A more socially responsible shipping industry
  • A better protected and more efficient workforce
  • Help ensure that ships are operated safely and securely with few problems and few delays in ports
  • New Convention contains minimum standards that are well within the current industry practice and should easily be met by most shipowners

For Seafarers

  • A comprehensive set of basic maritime labour principles and rights as well as ILO fundamental rights
  • Convention spells out in one place and clear language seafarers’ basic employment rights
  • Seafarers better informed of their rights and of remedies available
  • Improved enforcement of minimum working and living conditions
  • Right to make complaints both on board and ashore
  • Clear identification of who is the shipowner with overall responsibility, for the purposes of this Convention