ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) has welcomed the landmark changes to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) which mean seafarers are officially recognised as ‘key workers’ by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Under ILO’s Special Tripartite Committee on the MLC, governments, shipowners, and unions met from 7-11 April, to review and adopt crucial updates that reflect the evolving needs of seafarers and the maritime industry. Among the suite of amendments agreed to improve the working and living conditions of seafarers on board ships were provisions for seafarers to be designated as key workers.
Seafarers’ Group spokesperson and ITF Seafarers’ Section Vice Chair, Mark Dickinson, said: “For the first time in any ILO instrument we have a reference in the Code to seafarers as key workers. How seafarers were treated during Covid-19 has not been forgotten, and we have made sure, as best we can, that it won’t be repeated.”
The new status aims to ensure better protections for seafarers, including improved access to medical care, smoother travel arrangements, and stronger support, especially in crisis situations. Key updates to the MLC include strengthened provisions to prevent violence and harassment, clearer guidelines on shore leave, and improved onboard health protocols.
The maritime industry faces skills, recruitment and retention crises – and seafarers will not join a fragmented industry where abuses go unchecked and where fatigue and criminalisation are rife,
… commented ITF Seafarers’ Section Coordinator, Fabrizio Barcellona.
Notably, there’s now a commitment to review and better enforce regulations on seafarers’ hours of work and rest, in cooperation with the International Maritime Organization (IMO), to combat fatigue. The revised Code also references guidelines on the fair treatment of seafarers in legal matters, reinforcing protections against criminalisation and unjust treatment.
Additionally, five resolutions were proposed to address broader concerns, including extending the ILO-IMO working group’s mandate to tackle issues like seafarer abandonment and the human element in maritime safety.
