China has ratified the Maritime Labor Convention, becoming the 68th International Labor Organization member state to do so.
As the fourth pillar of the international maritime legal regime, complementing the key conventions of the IMO, the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) has placed decent working and living conditions of seafarers and fair competition for shipowners at the forefront of maritime affairs.
With over 250,000 seafarers and a merchant fleet of 44,474,904 gross tons, China plays a significant role in the maritime industry, and its ratification is anticipated to have a strong impact on the working and living conditions of the world’s seafarers.
In transmitting the instrument of ratification, Ambassador Wu Hailong, Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations, stated:
“It is a great honor to present the instrument of ratification of the Maritime Labor Convention, 2006. I am confident that China will not only fulfil the obligations to effectively implement the convention, but will also drive global efforts to promote compliance with the convention throughout the world.”
The MLC, 2006, entered into force on August 20, 2013 for the first 30 member states that had registered their ratifications by August 20, 2012. To date, the states that have ratified the MLC, 2006, represent over 80 percent of the world gross tonnage of shipping.
The convention will enter into force for the People’s Republic of China on November 12, 2016, that is one year after its ratification.
India ratified the convention on October 9.
Source: maritime-executive.com