ISF urges PH to ratify Maritime Labor Convention 2006

MANILA, Philippines – The International Shipping Federation (ISF) has urged the Philippine government to ratify the Maritime Labor Convention 2006 (MLC 2006).

ISF president Spyros Polimes met recently with the secretaries of the Department of Transportation and Communication and the Department of Labor and Employment.

Polimes stressed that as a primary supplier of able and qualified seafarers, it is to the great advantage to the Philippines to ratify the MLC 2006.

The MLC 2006 provides comprehensive rights and protection at work for the world’s more than 1.2 million seafarers. The new labor standard consolidates and updates more than 65 international labor standards related to seafarers adopted over the last 80 years.

The convention sets out seafarers’ rights to decent conditions of work on a wide range of subjects, and aims to be globally applicable, easily understandable, readily updatable and uniformly enforced. It has been designed to become a global instrument known as the “fourth pillar” of the international regulatory regime for quality shipping, complementing the key Conventions of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

During his visit in Manila, Polimes also conducted a dialogue with the Filipino Shipowners Associaiton (FSA) on several major issues affecting the shipping world.

Polemis reported that the ISF continues to work towards efforts in preventing pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden and other maritime areas.

He also encouraged FSA members to observe the Best Management Practices in order to prevent pirate attacks and the hijack of ships and crew. (EHL)