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