GCC maritime stakeholders explore application of the Maritime Labour Convention
A training workshop held in Oman explored the practical applications of the ILO Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 in the GCC region.
28 July 2023
SALALAH (ILO News) - Oman’s Ministry of Labour, in partnership with the Oman Ministry of Transportation, Communication and Information Technology and the International Labour Organization (ILO), organized a four-day training workshop on the applications and significance of the ILO Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.
The workshop, held in the southern Omani city of Salalah, brought together GCC and Omani government officials, employer and worker representatives and other stakeholders and specialists. It provided participants with an in-depth understanding of the MLC, 2006, its requirements and methods of implementation, and the most recent amendments that were adopted, while highlighting the basic rights of seafarers and clarifying the responsibilities and obligations of governments and the shipping industry.
Application of the MCL, 2006 across the GCC region was discussed during the first two days of the workshop, while the second two days were focused on the Omani context.
The workshop opened with the participation of the Director General of the Executive Bureau of the GCC Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs Council Amer Bin Mohammed Al-Hajri, Director General of Maritime Affairs at Oman’s Ministry of Transport Communications and Information Technology Taher Bin Mohammed Albusaidi, ILO Deputy Regional Director for the Arab States Peter Rademaker, and Planning Advisor for the Oman Minister of Labour’s Office Mohammed Bin Ghalib Bin Ali Al Hinai, as well as officials from Oman’s Ministry of Human Resources and Nationalization and Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure.
“The ILO congratulates the government of the Sultanate of Oman for being the first GCC country and the 100th ILO member State to ratify the MLC, 2006, and we look forward to supporting Oman on its successful implementation,” said Deputy Regional Director Peter Rademaker. “The GCC is an important maritime region, and a possible ratification of the MLC by further GCC countries would not only benefit their own fleets but would certainly contribute to improving the working conditions and protection of seafarers’ rights and bolster the maritime industry as a whole in the region,” he added.
ILO Deputy Regional Director for the Arab States Peter Rademaker During his opening remarks, Director-General Amer Al-Hajri said: “The maritime labour sector is one of the most prominent employment sectors in GCC countries, which is attested by the history of our region which was dependent on the agricultural and fishery sectors before the discovery of oil.”
“Accession to the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 and its entry into force on 29 March 2023 is only the beginning of the journey in the implementation and enforcement of the Convention” in Oman, said Director General Taher Albusaidi. “This workshop is an affirmation of the desire of the concerned authorities in the Sultanate of Oman to coordinate with the International Labour Organization to implement the Convention in accordance with international law, in addition to developing national legal frameworks that complement international efforts to ensure the rights of seafarers,” he added.
The MLC, also known as the Seafarers’ Bill of Rights, is a Convention that consolidates over 60 instruments adopted by the ILO since 1920. It primarily aims to ensure decent working and living conditions for seafarers, and to establish a system of fair competition among shipowners. The convention regulates every aspect of working and living conditions on board, from minimum age and recruitment agencies to repatriation, accommodation, medical care and Social Security.
It also has a strong enforcement mechanism which has built on the long experience of the International Maritime Organization, and which includes a system of inspection and certification of ships and the monitoring of recruitment agencies.
The MLC has been ratified by 104 ILO Member States representing over 96 per cent of the world’s maritime fleet.
The workshop, held in the southern Omani city of Salalah, brought together GCC and Omani government officials, employer and worker representatives and other stakeholders and specialists. It provided participants with an in-depth understanding of the MLC, 2006, its requirements and methods of implementation, and the most recent amendments that were adopted, while highlighting the basic rights of seafarers and clarifying the responsibilities and obligations of governments and the shipping industry.
Application of the MCL, 2006 across the GCC region was discussed during the first two days of the workshop, while the second two days were focused on the Omani context.
The workshop opened with the participation of the Director General of the Executive Bureau of the GCC Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs Council Amer Bin Mohammed Al-Hajri, Director General of Maritime Affairs at Oman’s Ministry of Transport Communications and Information Technology Taher Bin Mohammed Albusaidi, ILO Deputy Regional Director for the Arab States Peter Rademaker, and Planning Advisor for the Oman Minister of Labour’s Office Mohammed Bin Ghalib Bin Ali Al Hinai, as well as officials from Oman’s Ministry of Human Resources and Nationalization and Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure.
“The ILO congratulates the government of the Sultanate of Oman for being the first GCC country and the 100th ILO member State to ratify the MLC, 2006, and we look forward to supporting Oman on its successful implementation,” said Deputy Regional Director Peter Rademaker. “The GCC is an important maritime region, and a possible ratification of the MLC by further GCC countries would not only benefit their own fleets but would certainly contribute to improving the working conditions and protection of seafarers’ rights and bolster the maritime industry as a whole in the region,” he added.
ILO Deputy Regional Director for the Arab States Peter Rademaker During his opening remarks, Director-General Amer Al-Hajri said: “The maritime labour sector is one of the most prominent employment sectors in GCC countries, which is attested by the history of our region which was dependent on the agricultural and fishery sectors before the discovery of oil.”
“Accession to the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 and its entry into force on 29 March 2023 is only the beginning of the journey in the implementation and enforcement of the Convention” in Oman, said Director General Taher Albusaidi. “This workshop is an affirmation of the desire of the concerned authorities in the Sultanate of Oman to coordinate with the International Labour Organization to implement the Convention in accordance with international law, in addition to developing national legal frameworks that complement international efforts to ensure the rights of seafarers,” he added.
The MLC, also known as the Seafarers’ Bill of Rights, is a Convention that consolidates over 60 instruments adopted by the ILO since 1920. It primarily aims to ensure decent working and living conditions for seafarers, and to establish a system of fair competition among shipowners. The convention regulates every aspect of working and living conditions on board, from minimum age and recruitment agencies to repatriation, accommodation, medical care and Social Security.
It also has a strong enforcement mechanism which has built on the long experience of the International Maritime Organization, and which includes a system of inspection and certification of ships and the monitoring of recruitment agencies.
The MLC has been ratified by 104 ILO Member States representing over 96 per cent of the world’s maritime fleet.