News in English

Marking 20 years of the Maritime Labour Convention

Today, the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) marks its 20th anniversary. This landmark international agreement has, for two decades, protected a largely unseen global workforce that underpins everyday life.

Around ninety per cent of world commerce is carried by sea, but ships do not move trade on their own. Behind this system stand nearly two million seafarers. It is the skill and dedication of seafarers that makes global commerce possible, and those individuals must themselves be supported by strong and enforceable international standards.

Developed and maintained through cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Convention establishes minimum global requirements for working and living conditions at sea, including access to medical care, fair employment terms and protections for welfare and dignity during long periods away from home. The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) have played central roles in its development, negotiation and continuing revision, working with the ILO and partners, to ensure that the Convention remains practical, effective and responsive to emerging challenges.

This anniversary takes place at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty, increasing strain on global supply chains. Decisions taken outside the maritime sphere, including in areas such as border management, public health, finance and national security are having far reaching consequences for shipping but crucially for the seafarers who are at its heart. Experience during the Covid-19 pandemic illustrated how measures introduced without sufficient awareness of maritime realities can place unnecessary pressure on those at sea, while also creating wider risks for the continuity of trade.

The MLC must continue to be protected and supported as the cornerstone of decent work at sea. On this milestone anniversary, we urge countries across the world to recognise seafarers as key workers. This is not only for the benefit of seafarers, but for the stability of the global economy that depends upon them.

ICS