As of the 20th of August the MLC2006 will be enforceable in all ratifying countries, whom together represent over 68% of the world shipping tonnage. The MLC2006 aims for a basic minimum package of seafarer employment conditions worldwide. It discourages any competition amongst ship owners in this area. It shall be enforced by flag state authorities and port state control. TOS is very happy to announce that, after a busy period of preparations, TOS has just received her ‘Attestation of Compliance’ from Bureau Veritas!
TOS is fully prepared
This certificate states that TOS is in compliance with the MLC2006. “In principle, proper procedures were already in place as we have been ISO 9001 certified already for years. But in order to comply to the MLC2006 sometimes the obvious has to be fully documented. Besides, a challenge lies ahead of all of us to educate our crew to bring the necessary documents with them to the vessels. TOS is fully prepared for that. By obtaining our attestation we are proving again that we are one of the professional parties in the maritime industry. For our customers we will not be the cause of any MLC headache…”, says Marlena Holdermans, Executive Manager Finance, Quality & Law. A copy of the TOS Attestation of Compliance is now available via www.tos.nl
TOS MLC2006
Service suppliers versus ship owners
Working with temporary work agencies and/or the use of Recruitment & Placement Services from Dutch or foreign agencies became quite a challenge for ship owners, as upon them lies in the end the responsibility to verify that their subcontractors are operating in compliance with MLC2006. There has been a long debate on the most appropriate method to do so, ending with the conclusion that such service suppliers must not only amend their working methods to comply to the MLC2006, but also should obtain their own MLC-certification to prove it.
Global industry with global standards
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) pointed out that the shipping industry is “the world’s first genuinely global industry” which “requires an international regulatory response of an appropriate kind – global standards applicable to the entire industry”. The ILO’s Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006 provides comprehensive rights and protection at work for the world’s more than 1.2 million seafarers. The Convention aims to achieve both decent work for seafarers and to secure economic interests in fair competition for ship owners.
Source: TOS