What is the Maritime Labour Convention?
The International Labour Organization's Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 - also known as the Seafarers’ Bill of Rights – sets out the minimum rights that you should expect as a seafarer.
Every ship over 500 gross tonnage operating in international waters or between ports of different countries has to have a maritime labour certificate. This confirms that it complies with the MLC.
The MLC has been described as the first of a new generation of international labour standards “with teeth”.
The MLC incorporates and builds on 68 existing maritime labour conventions and recommendations, as well as other fundamental principles, to ensure decent working and living conditions for all seafarers.
The MLC is designed to sit alongside other regulations such as the IMO standards on ship safety, security and quality ship management (such as SOLAS, STCW and MARPOL). Where those instruments deal more with the vessel and its operation, the MLC deals with your rights as a seafarer.
It should be remembered that the MLC sets out minimum requirements. Many states that ratify the Convention may have higher standards.
DOWNLOAD Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (1099kb PDF)
This post was edited by Crewell Admin at July 28, 2016 8:18 PM EESTFAQ
What are my rights under the MLC?
Under the MLC, you have the right to:
a safe and secure workplace
fair terms of employment
decent living and working conditions
social protection – access to medical care, health protection and welfare
freedom of association – to join a trade union of your choice
have your union negotiate a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on your behalf.
This post was edited by Crewell Admin at July 28, 2016 8:19 PM EEST
The MLC covers all vessels and applies to all seafarers. But you must be at least 16 and have a medical certificate to work on a ship.
All ships are covered except:
Ships below 200 GT, that are not carrying out international voyages, can be excluded by the flag State from some of the requirements if the seafarers’ rights concerned are already covered by national laws, collective agreements or other measures.
Seafarer means any person who is employed or engaged or works in any capacity on board a ship to which the Convention applies. This includes riding gangs and hotel staff on cruise ships – anyone working on board.
If there is any doubt as to whether a category of ship or person is covered by the Convention, the situation has to be clarified between the State authorities in consultation with the shipowner and seafarer organizations concerned.
Crew manning agencies offering recruitment services must not charge you for finding you work. You can only be charged for the costs of obtaining your national statutory medical certificate, national seafarers’ book, passport or similar personal travel documents.
You are entitled to a fair employment agreement or contract setting out decent living and working conditions on board. It must be signed by you and your employer, be easy to understand and legally enforceable.
All information on the terms and conditions of employment, including the CBA, must be freely accessible to everyone on board and available for inspection in port.
Your employment agreement must contain:
Reference to the CBA, if applicable.
No deductions can be made from your pay unless expressly permitted by national law or agreed in the CBA.
However, in the event of an emergency, or to assist other ships or persons in distress, the captain can suspend the work schedule.
The ship must keep records of hours of work and hours of rest, and you must receive an endorsed copy of your hours of work/rest.
You are entitled to paid annual leave, on the basis of at least 2.5 days for every calendar month of employment, and shore leave.
You have a right to be repatriated at no cost to yourself if you have served up to 12 months on board.
Shipowners are responsible for any costs resulting from sickness, injury or death connected to your employment, from the date you start a contract until you have been repatriated, or can claim medical benefits under an insurance/compensation scheme.
If you need medicine or medical treatment, the shipowner has to pay any bills until you have recovered or have been signed off as permanently disabled. The shipowner’s responsibility for paying these costs may be limited to 16 weeks from the day of injury/sickness, if stated in national law/regulation.
If you are unable to work because of the injury/illness, you should get full wages while you are on board. When you get home, national laws and CBAs will determine whether you get full or part pay or a cash settlement. These payments may be limited to 16 weeks from the day of injury/sickness.
You can make a complaint on board to a senior officer, the captain or the shipowner, or the flag state.
If the problem is with a shipowner, you can also raise this with the flag state or the port state.
If you make a complaint on board, you have the right to be accompanied by a representative or a fellow seafarer – and not to be victimised for making a complaint.
You can also make a complaint to a port state control (PSC) officer/labour inspector.
You don’t have to make the complaint directly - someone else (such as an ITF inspector or a welfare worker) can make it for you.
RUSSIAN
Что такое Конвенция о труде в морском судоходстве?
Конвенция о труде в морском судоходстве (MLC) 2006 г. Международной организации труда, также известная под названием Билль о правах моряков, − это комплекс минимальных прав, которыми вы должны обладать в качестве моряка.
Каждое судно с валовым регистровым тоннажем более 500 т, работающее в международных водах или между портами различных стран, должно иметь Свидетельство о соответствии трудовым нормам в морском судоходстве, которое подтверждает его соответствие MLC.
MLC можно охарактеризовать как первый из нового поколения международных трудовых стандартов, «обладающих зубами».
С целью обеспечения достойных условий труда и жизни для всех моряков MLC включает в себя 68 действующих конвенций и рекомендаций о труде моряков и основывается на них, а также на других фундаментальных принципах.
MLC разработана таким образом, чтобы учитывать содержание и других таких нормативных документов ИМО, как стандарты безопасности судов, охраны труда и качества управления судами (SOLAS, STCW и MARPOL). Хотя эти документы в большей степени и относятся к судну и управлению им, MLC более сосредоточена на ваших правах как правах моряков.
Следует помнить о том, что MLC устанавливает минимальные требования. Многие страны, ратифицировавшие Конвенцию, могут иметь и более высокие стандарты.
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