ILO encourages Brunei to ratify Marine Labour Convention

Quratul-Ain Bandial
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE International Labour Organisation (ILO) is encouraging Brunei to ratify the Marine Labour Convention (MLC) to create fair labour standards for seafarers.

The MLC, often referred to as the "seafarers' bill of rights" can be described as an objective benchmark for decent working and living conditions for seafarers.

ILO labour law expert, Jajoon Coue, said it would be in everyone's best interests for Brunei to ratify the MLC.

"It makes it easier for the wealth of protections within the MLC to apply in all courts in member countries (of the ILO), whether or not they ratified the MLC," he said on the sidelines of an MLC workshop held in the capital.

The workshop, organised by the Labour Department, included 30 participants from government agencies and the merchant shipping sector. Two specialists from the ILO's regional headquarters in Bangkok were also invited to share their expertise.

"I cannot say (if Brunei is moving towards ratification) but there is certainly strong interest and that is why I'm here and why they have invited us," said Coue.

As the third largest oil producer in Southeast Asia averaging about 200,000 barrels a day and the ninth largest exporter of natural gas in the world, ratifying the MLC could require a change in the way merchant shippers do business.

"We want to know more about the MLC, and it's not that we're going to ratify it, but we need to know the significance of MLC," Labour Commissioner Ramlee Hj Jamudin told The Brunei Times.

"We have to find out if we have the capacity to meet all those conditions."

With approximately 60 active seafarers living and working in Brunei's 78 chemical, liquid and national gas tankers, the relevant agencies need to devise an approach to the convention that is carefully planned, said Ramlee.

"As a non-ratifying member state we need to fully understand the impacts of the convention to our merchant shipping sector."

"We want to better understand where Brunei Darussalam falls short of the convention and what needs to be done to build ourselves to the required standard."

With more than 90 per cent of the world trade carried by sea, and about 1.2 million seafarers on ships, the new convention will consolidate 68 standards outlined by the International Labour Organisation that revolves around the maritime sector.

Coue said it became clear during discussions with ILO member states that they needed to consolidate all maritime labour standards into a single instrument, the MLC.

"Countries said they found it difficult to ratify all the different treaties which contained labour standards for seafarers."

Coue explained that even though Brunei has yet to ratify the treaty, if a Bruneian ship docks in an MLC-compliant country, it will be subject to the provisions of the convention.

"The state will apply conditions within the convention, inspect the ship, and if they find the conditions wanting, they will take necessary measures, including detention of the ship until the conditions have been met."

So far 30 countries have ratified the MLC, representing 33 per cent of global gross tonnage of ships. The convention is scheduled to come into force a year from now.

Dipetik dari - The Brunei Times