08 Aug 13 - 11:12
UK is the 41st ILO Member State to ratify the Convention which enters into force on August 20th
Yesterday, on August 7th, UK ratified theInternational Labour Organization's Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006) on 7 August 2013. This ratification also covers the Isle of Man and Gibraltar. With the ratification of the MLC, 2006 by the United Kingdom, 41 ILO Member States, representing 75.3 per cent of the world gross tonnage of ships and more than 50 percent of the world's 1.2 million seafarers have now committed themselves to the Convention, which comes into force on 20 August.
Mark Brownrigg, Director-General of the UK Chamber of Shipping said: "We are delighted to hear that the UK has today formally ratified the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC), consolidating international labour and employment standards and setting minimum global standards for seafarers' living and working conditions. This completes the package of regulatory instruments developed at IMO level.
"The UK Chamber has been deeply involved in the work needed to ratify the MLC on behalf of our members to ensure it is fit for purpose. We have been part of the long term working groups and consultations to look at both national and international implementation.
"We have campaigned heavily in Parliament to ensure MPs from across the political spectrum understood the importance of the MLC and worked with us to achieve ratification. We extend our thanks and congratulations to Government for achieving this in a very short timescale.
"The Maritime Labour Convention is crucial for our industry, creating a level playing field in which standards for mariners are brought into line with those applicable to land-based work, whilst still recognising the unique environment in which seafarers work.
"We look forward to working very closely with all parties - particularly the Maritime and Coastguard Agency - going forward to ensure the smooth implementation of the detailed regulations required to make the MLC a success."
