Future-proofing the Maritime Labour Convention,
2021, London
Summary
Location
IMO Headquarters, London
Title
Future-proofing the Maritime Labour Convention
Date
16 September 2021
Organised by Seafarers’ Rights International (SRI), ‘Future-proofing the Maritime Labour Convention’ attracted over 120 participants including representatives from over 30 States to hear addresses from Ministers, shipowners, seafarers, port state control, training colleges and cadets, each providing their unique perspective on the challenges faced by seafarers during the pandemic and the future of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC). The opening session of the conference focused on the need for more States to designate seafarers as key workers and to ensure fair treatment of seafarers following maritime casualties in the context of the MLC. A second session discussed the role of port state control in enforcing the MLC. In the final session on career and skill development for seafarers, cadets from Warsash Maritime School addressed the conference and shared their priorities and hopes for their future careers.
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Post Event
MLC Report
In May 2024, SRI concluded a research project assessing how effective the MLC, 2006 is in in terms of its implementation and enforcement. The project, commissioned by the ITF, aimed to provide an independent answer to the extent to which the Convention is being fully and uniformly enforced around the world.
The published report The Maritime Labour Convention around the world identified substantial achievements in the enforcement of the MLC but also identified significant gaps. The research adopted a unique approach by evaluating the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders and role players in the Convention. It also presents a Table of Indicators that assesses the enforcement of the MLC by individual States.
Taking the findings as a whole and aggregating all regions of the world, it is very approximately estimated that implementation and enforcement of the MLC is achieving a success rate of around 65%.
MLC Case Law Symposiums
SRI collaborates with the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO) to deliver the Maritime Labour Convention Case Law Symposium. The two-day symposium serves as a forum for industry practitioners, lawyers and judges to share experiences and enhance expertise on the application of the MLC and its use in national courts. Judicial decisions help foster a better understanding of the Convention and secure its uniform and widespread enforcement. As such, every year a selection of cases from around the world is examine providing a window into the nature of labour disputes and challenges faced by seafarers. As the MLC exceeds the mark of 110 ratifications, it remains essential to catalogue and analyse national jurisprudence as a means to increase awareness of the Convention, promote uniform interpretation and identify any gaps in the Convention or its implementation. “The first Case Law Symposium was held in 2022 and there have been annual Symposiums since then.”
“Legal practitioners, judges and academics have an important role to play in the interpretation and enforcement of the Convention in national courts. The symposium, which is hosted annually is an ideal forum for the maritime legal community to come together and examine jurisprudence on key issues that have arisen over the past year, thus building and expanding the effectiveness of the MLC.”
