Features

2012

1. 

   Article

   On course for decent shipping

   20 August 2012

   When the ILO adopted the Maritime Labour Convention in February 2006, Director-General Juan Somavia called it “making labour history”. Following the ratification by Russia and the Philippines, the Convention will come into force in 12 months’ time. What does this mean for the world’s 1.2 million seafarers?

2. 

   Article

   Campaign for domestic workers’ rights gathers pace

   29 February 2012

   The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, 8 March, is “Empower Rural Women, End Poverty and Hunger”. One path that many rural women take to escape poverty is to become a domestic worker in a big city household or overseas. Yet when they do, many find themselves exploited, with little or no legal protection to guarantee basic rights to pay, rest and freedom from abuse. However following the adoption of the ILO Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189), the campaign to ensure domestic workers’ rights are respected is gaining momentum. By Lotte Kejser, Chief Technical Advisor, ILO Country Office for Indonesia and Timor Leste

2011

1. 

   Feature story

   Questions and answers on the hidden reality of children in domestic work

   08 August 2011

   The recently approved ILO Convention No. 189 and Recommendation No. 201 on decent work for domestic workers aim to protect and improve working and living conditions of millions of workers worldwide, who have few – if any – labour rights. Many are children who spend long hours working as domestic helpers, performing tasks such as cleaning, ironing, cooking, minding other children and gardening instead of being at school. ILO News spoke to ILO experts Martin Oelz (TRAVAIL) and José M. Ramírez (IPEC) on the current situation of child domestic workers and how the new Convention and Recommendation can help impact their lives.

2010

1. 

   Maritime Labour Convention

   Implementing the Maritime Labour Convention is "almost there"

   27 September 2010

   When the ILO adopted the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006), in February 2006, Director-General Juan Somavia said the Organization had made "labour history" for the world's more than 1.2 million seafarers. Four years on, the Convention is expected to come into force in 2011 or early 2012. ILO Online spoke with Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, Director of the ILO's International Labour Standards Department, about recent developments in the implementation of the Convention, and what the ILO and its Member States are doing to bring the Convention into force.

2009

1. 

   Maritime Labour Convention

   Achieving the seafarers’ international bill of rights: more than half way there!

   23 February 2009

   When the ILO adopted the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) on 23 February 2006, Director-General Juan Somavia called it a historic moment for the world’s more than 1.2 million seafarers. Three years on, in line with the ILO’s five-year Action Plan, this key global agreement has now been ratified by five major flag States and key ILO Members, representing nearly 45 per cent of the world’s gross tonnage. Many more Member ratifications supported by international industry agreements are already under way.

2008

1. 

   Questions & Answers

   Questions and answers on Tripartite Expert Meetings on Flag State and Port State inspection guidelines under the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006

   15 September 2008

   More than 300 senior representatives of seafarers and shipowners, along with governments, are to meet in Geneva between 15 and 26 September to discuss guidelines on flag-state and port-state inspection on board of ships under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) adopted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 2006. Below are questions and answers on the importance of the meeting, and how it relates to the Maritime Convention.

2. 

   Maritime Labour Convention

   Maritime Labour Convention: Setting sail for a decent future

   10 September 2008

   When the ILO adopted the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 in February 2006, Director-General Juan Somavia called it “making labour history” for the world’s more than 1.2 million seafarers. Two years on, the MLC has been ratified by three key flag states representing nearly 20 per cent of the world’s gross tonnage with many more ratifications and industry agreements already under way. A five-year ILO action plan designed to achieve entry into force by 2011 is moving forward this month with two key tripartite experts’ meetings to adopt guidelines for flag State inspections and port State control officers. The ILO reports from the “City of London”, where the MLC is already being put to the test.

3. 

   Article

   Strengthening security on the high seas and in world ports: ILO Convention on seafarers’ ID card gains new momentum

   25 January 2008

   A growing number of countries have already ratified the ILO's Seafarers' Identity Documents Convention No.185 adopted in 2003 or will do so in the near future. The international Convention came into force in February 2005 and creates the first globally applicable system of biometric identification for secure identity documents for the estimated 1.2 million seafarers in the world.

2007

1. 

   Article

   Preventing occupational accidents and diseases: Japan becomes first country to ratify ILO Convention No.187

   24 July 2007

   On 24 July, Japan became the first country to ratify ILO Convention No. 187 committing itself to reinforce its OSH system. The Convention which establishes a promotional framework for occupational safety and health (OSH) was adopted by the International Labour Conference in June 2006. ILO Online reports from Japan where a number of serious occupational safety and health problems highlighted the need to further reinforce prevention programmes.

2. 

   Article

   “For fishers their ship is their home, and for many the crew is their only family”

   19 June 2007

   On the 14th of June, the ILO’s 96th International Labour Conference adopted a new Convention and Recommendation on work in the fishing sector. The new instruments are aimed to ensure decent living and working conditions for some 30 million workers in the global fishing industry. ILO Online reports from Ukraine where the fishing industry is currently in crisis.