ICS and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) have released new ‘’Guidelines for implementing the Welfare aspects of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC)’.
MLC 2006 aims to ensure worldwide protection and enforcement of the rights of seafarers, and to establish a level playing field for ILO Member States and shipowners in order to provide decent working and living conditions for seafarers.
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ICS and ITF emphasise that several countries with highly developed arrangements for providing seafarer welfare services and facilities have not yet signed the MLC, while many seafarer supply countries have not yet developed welfare organisations to provide services or facilities for seafarers either at home or abroad.
The Guidelines intend to:
- Help any government administration, national or port welfare agencies, independent welfare organisations and others concerned with the provision of welfare services and facilities for seafarers. In all cases, the relevant national laws or regulations, collective bargaining agreements or other measures to implement the MLC, in the flag State must be viewed as the authoritative legal requirements for that State’s ships.
- Guide governments, shipowners and seafarers’ representatives in the implementation of the welfare provisions of the MLC. Provide information about the obligations under the MLC to help promote awareness of the importance of providing access to seafarers’ welfare facilities and services. The guidelines are also intended to complement and draw upon promotional tools and practitioner manuals that are already available to help seafarers and organisations concerned with the provision of seafarers’ welfare facilities.
- Aid with the interpretation and implementation of the Convention.
- Explain each of the instruments by setting out their provisions to encourage practical implementation.
- Reflect the intentions of the parties involved in the development and adoption of the MLC, in order to promote the availability of onshore facilities and services for seafarers, as required.
- Take account of the requirement to keep the Convention under continuous review and to reflect the changing needs of seafarers and changes in the shipping industry.
- Help those that provide advice and advocate for facilities to better meet seafarers’ needs.
Commenting about the Guidelines, ITF General Secretary, Stephen Cotton stated:
Seafarers are separated from their families and communities for long periods of time, and remain on board ships with very limited time ashore. They therefore require adequate services at sea and in ports where different national, cultural and political experiences can create challenges.
Payment of Wages
Regarding wages, MLC says that seafarers should be able to transfer their wages to their families at home. Most shipowners or managers make arrangements for a proportion of a seafarer’s wages to be sent home at regular intervals, directly into the seafarer’s bank account. However, some seafarers want to arrange money transfers between a reliable financial institution in a particular port and a financial institution in the country where their families reside. Very high charges might be imposed for providing such services, especially when different currencies are involved in the transaction. It is also worth noting that, given the nature of their work, customers such as seafarers might not be able to return to a particular financial institution to resolve any issue which may arise following a transfer.
Internet Access
The Internet is a very important tool to communicate with seafarers remotely. Internet connectivity at sea can be useful not only for seafarers’ communication purposes but also to provide welfare services.
Provision of Welfare Services
Services and administrative support may be provided by a seafarers’ welfare agency irrespective of whether or not a particular government has ratified the MLC. Such an arrangement provides a direct service to seafarers while making it easier for governments to support existing facilities and to establish new ones.
Establishing welfare services according to the applicable provisions contained in the MLC, and encouraging governments to ratify the Convention with a minimum amount of administrative burden, could gain official support and encouragement for the welfare activities being provided.
Accommodation
Shipowners must provide and maintain decent accommodation and recreational facilities for seafarers working and/or living on board, in order to protect their health and well-being. The requirements for these facilities include:
- Sleeping rooms, size, equipment and location;
- Adequate headroom;
- Adequate insulation;
- Proper lighting;
- Sufficient drainage;
- No direct openings into sleeping rooms from cargo and machinery spaces, galleys, storerooms, drying rooms or communal sanitary areas;
- Health and safety protection and accident prevention;
- Ventilation and heating;
- Sanitary facilities;
- Hospital accommodation;
- Laundry;
- Recreational facilities.
As for accommodation on shore, it needs to be made available to seafarers in appropriate cases. The accommodation provided should be of a good standard and located in surroundings removed from the immediate vicinity of the docks.
Accommodation facilities should also be properly supervised, provided at a reasonable fee, while where necessary and possible, provision should be made for accommodating seafarers’ families.
You may see more details in the PDF herebelow
