PH votes to amend MLC 206 during 103rd ILO confab Posted by: Dennis on Jun 18, 2014 Filipino seafarers may soon enjoy better protection after the Philippine government voted in favor of amendments to the Maritime Labor Convention of 2006 (MLC, 2006). Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz has said the amendments seek to address concerns on abandonment and ship owners’ liability in seafarers’ injury, illness, or death. “It is in our country’s best interest to provide our 360,000 ocean-going seafarers with the best terms and conditions of employment and welfare, including the welfare of their families. As a flag state, we are strongly assured that seafarers in all Philippine-flagged ocean-going and inter-island ships employing an estimated 60,000 seafarers shall be covered by internationally-benchmarked standards that secure their welfare and protection,” Baldoz said in a release on the DOLE website. The Department of Labor and Employment said the amendments to the MLC, 2006 was one of three items voted on at the 103rd International Labor Conference. It said the amendments involved the implementation of the “financial security instrument on ship owners’ liability for the repatriation of seafarers and contractual compensation.” Long-term medical treatment for seafarers Baldoz also said seafarers needing long-term medical treatment should not be deprived of their benefits due to sudden cancellation of the financial cover. She said a system or procedure must be established to monitor the validity of the financial security instrument, just like how abandonment cases are tracked. She said the Philippines has approved an action plan that can serve as a road map for the eventual implementation of the two amendments. Baldoz said tripartite partners “shall develop a model bilateral agreement that will enable us to engage other flag states for a more robust and smoother implementation of the Convention.” Meanwhile, Baldoz stressed the need for bilateral engagements and regular dialogues and consultations with ratifying member states that host Filipino seafarers. These will address issues and lead to a “more harmonized administration and enforcement of the convention,” she said. Meanwhile, Baldoz noted the Department of Labor and Employment has issued orders governing the employment of Filipino seafarers on Philippine-registered ships engaged in international voyages and those on the domestic inter-island trade. She said the Philippines has authorized nine organizations to carry out inspection and certification functions on Philippine-registered ships in international waters. Of 131 ships, 98 have been issued Maritime Labor Certificates, while inspection and certification process for the remaining ships are in the final stages, she added. Meanwhile, the DOLE has issued regulations for provisions of the convention such as maritime occupational safety and health, and regulations on the issuance of a national certificate for ships’ cooks and standards for medical examination. Baldoz said the Philippines already amended its standard employment contract on the employment of seafarers on ocean-going foreign vessels as early as 2010. “Our Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has also re-certified the recruitment and placement services provided by licensed manning agencies pursuant to the provisions contained in regulation 1.4 of the Convention,” she said. Still, she said she ordered the POEA to review its rules and regulations on the recruitment and employment of seafarers, to align them with the standards prescribed by the Convention. — - See more at: unitedfilipinoseafarers.ph/ph-votes-to-amend-mlc-206-during-103rd-ilo-confab/#sthash.D7JPQ6ql.dpuf
Posted on: Thu, 19 Jun 2014 01:29:24 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015