MLC will come into force on August 20th, 2013
The Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC) has been ratified by theUK.
This new International Labour Organization (ILO) convention consolidates and updates more than 68 international labour standards in the maritime sector. It sets minimum global standards for seafarers living and working conditions. It also reflects the valuable contribution of the ILO to global employment standards
The ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention has been a lengthy process that involved a number of Government departments including DWP, FCO andBISalongside extensive contributions from the UK Chamber of Shipping, Nautilus International, the RMT union and other stakeholders. It presented us with the opportunity to update legislation.
TheUKhas1,383 vessels on its register totalling16.57 million gross tonnage. There are approximately 89,000 seafarers working on UK flagged ships and more than24,100 UK nationals work as seafarers.The UK’s adoption has been extended to include the Isle of Man and Gibraltar.
Stephen Hammond MP, UK Minister for Shipping, said:
“I am pleased to adopt this convention. This will ensure that there are globally agreed standards for seafarers and their right to decent working conditions. It will also provide clarity of regulatory approach and remove obstacles to regional trade.
“It also ensures a level playing field for theUKmerchant fleet because the Convention will require ships registered in other states to meet internationally agreed standards.”
Source: UK MCA
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The MLC, 2006 will enter into force on 20 August 2013, one year after the ILO received its 30th ratification, one of two thresholds required for its coming into force (the other requirement, that ratifying countries represent 33 percent of the world’s gross shipping tonnage, was achieved in 2009). For countries that registered their ratification after 20 August 2012, the Convention will enter into force 12 months after ratification. For more information, please visit the dedicated MLC webpage atwww.ilo.org/mlc |
