United States has now ratified the Maritime Labor Convention. All hands should read this, your new Bill of Rights.
http://www.itfseafarers.org/files/publications/23556/SBoR_English_inside_small.pdf
So what happens now? We have to wait a few years for the USCG to adopt new regs implementing MLC before US mariners may see any potential benefit from this?
I read over the whole thing…not much in then there that isn’t already implemented here in the states, the only exception being that this makes it illegal for recruiters to charge the seafarers a fee for placing them.
Somewhat surprising to me was that the minimum wage for an AB under this convention is $585/mo.
I know that a class action lawsuit against marine recruiters has been in the works for a while. Apparently there is a law disallowing recruiters from charging the mariner a fee. They are supposed to get a fee from the hiring company.
The $585 per month minimum wage sounds about right for the 3rd world. The Philipine stevedores in Diego Garcia make about $1.00 per hour plus room and board. They work a 12 hour day, so that’s $360 per month. I think they generally work a six day week.
[QUOTE=captjamied;130771]I read over the whole thing…not much in then there that isn’t already implemented here in the states, the only exception being that this makes it illegal for recruiters to charge the seafarers a fee for placing them.
Somewhat surprising to me was that the minimum wage for an AB under this convention is $585/mo.[/QUOTE]
It is, and has been, illegal for a very long time for recruiters to charge seamen a fee for placing them. However, this existing law is apparently not very well enforced by the government.
Unless I’m missing something, where does it say in the links and info posted that the US ratified MLC 2006? On the ILO page, the US is listed as having NOT ratified the Convention.
[QUOTE=highseasharry;130747]United States has now ratified the Maritime Labor Convention. All hands should read this, your new Bill of Rights.
http://www.itfseafarers.org/files/publications/23556/SBoR_English_inside_small.pdf[/QUOTE]
The U. S. has not ratified MLC. However, it has enetered intom force, meaning it can be enforced against the U. S. by the Port State Control of a country that is party to the MLC.
[QUOTE=jdcavo;131161]The U. S. has not ratified MLC. However, it has enetered intom force, meaning it can be enforced against the U. S. by the Port State Control of a country that is party to the MLC.[/QUOTE]
So the truth is that it doesn’t change anything for anyone working coastwise because the one and only authority coastwise is USCG. The other fact of the matter, however, is that it is felt by some that we didn’t ratify the MLC because our standards already meet or exceed those of the convention, which is probably mostly, if not entirely, true.
I think you might find there are no 12 hour watches anymore in MLC 2006
My buddy in OZ says it will add one officer to each psv/ahts
Also covers the living conditions, no more small cabins…
holey sh1t maybe even no more living conditions on a vessel that have been illegal on the land for 50 years…
(IMHO the US will never sign up)
No way the US would go for it. While a lot of it we probably already get, other parts won’t change. Even if so it would only apply to vessels subject to STCW avoiding almost all tugs.
I was hoping that we in the US might be brought up to third world standards.
This from Splash 24/7 today: http://splash247.com/selective-management-seafarers-health-safety/
I believe some of the health matters has been discussed in various threads here earlier.
Even if MLC 2006 is not perfect, it is at least a step ahead for most seafarers.
BTW: Will the US ever sign up to the MLC 2006??
If internet access for crew on ships isn’t yet a prt of MLC 2006 maybe it should be?: http://splash247.com/internet-access-rapidly-becoming-deciding-factor-top-crew/