U.K. Ratifies Maritime Labor Convention

The Maritime Labor Convention, 2006 (MLC) has been ratified by the UK.

This new International Labor Organization (ILO) convention consolidates and updates more than 68 international labor 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 Labor Convention has been a lengthy process that involved a number of Government departments including DWP, FCO and BIS alongside extensive contributions from the U.K. Chamber of Shipping, Nautilus International, the RMT union and other stakeholders. It presented us with the opportunity to update legislation.

The U.K. has 1,383 vessels on its register totaling 16.57 million gross tonnage. There are approximately 89,000 seafarers working on U.K.-flagged ships and more than 24,100 U.K. nationals work as seafarers.

The U.K.’s adoption has been extended to include the Isle of Man and Gibraltar.

Stephen Hammond MP, U.K. 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 the U.K. merchant fleet because the Convention will require ships registered in other states to meet internationally agreed standards.”

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