Nigeria commences implementation of new maritime labour convention

Nigeria commences implementation of new maritime labour convention

Wednesday, June 18, 2014 3:30 pm


Lagos – Nigeria has joined 60 other countries in the implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) adopted in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2006.

MLC is a new global policy that targets improved applicability, readability and enforceability of the maritime workers labour rules.

The new convention also enables ship-owners and government to provide decent conditions of work to seafarers.

Mrs Juliana Gunwa, Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, who provided an insight on the new convention at an interactive session, on Wednesday, in Lagos, urged maritime stakeholders to implement the convention.

Gunwa said that ship-owners and seafarers unions, had in 2001, proposed the need to improve living and working conditions for seafarers.

She said that the need for an alternative convention was based on poor ratifications of old seafarers conventions by most ILO countries.

“Most of the conventions are out of date or have unfair shipping practice, difficult amendment procedures and inflexibility with few ratifications,’’ she said.

Gunwa said that some of the fundamental rights of seafarers included enforcement of labour conventions, freedom of association and protection of right to organisation, right to organise and collective bargaining and the discrimination convention.

She urged all stakeholders, whose roles were critical to the realisation of the collective goals of improve living and working condition for seafarers, to cooperate.

She said that the Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) would want key stakeholders to collaborate with it to enable Nigeria fulfill its obligations as a ratifying member country.

Meanwhile, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that stakeholders in the maritime industry would soon meet for official implementation of the convention in NIMASA office in Lagos.

NAN also recalled that Nigeria actively participated in the development and adoption of the convention at the 94th session of ILO in February 2006.

Available data showed that Nigeria was the fifth country that ratified the convention.

– NAN


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