May 15, 2022

THIS WEEK IN HUMAN RIGHTS NEWS

Oman is the 100th country to ratify the Maritime Labour Convention, but maritime workers not entirely protected

Sources: The Conversation, UN News, The Guardian, ILO

In April, Oman became the 100th country to ratify the Maritime Labour Convention, a treaty created in 2006 by the International Labour Organisation to protect the working conditions of maritime workers. This includes people working on commercial ships that transport products as well as cruise ships. 

Labour protections for maritime workers face additional challenges in identifying who has “competent authority”, as reported by The Conversation. 

“Competent authority” can be difficult to determine due to the complexity of borders on international waters. Maritime labour law has to consider various aspects that often includes multiple countries. This includes the origin and destination countries of ships as well as their ownership and the nationalities of workers themselves.

When maritime labour rights are not protected or considered, it can end up stranding workers at sea. The Conversation reported that 300,000 people were stranded due to Covid-19 restrictions that did not allow them to come to shore. 

Workers have also been stranded at sea due to disputes beyond their control. After a commercial ship was banned from Australian ports due to safety breaches, which included a hole spotted in the ship’s hull, the workers on board were left to idle at sea and unpaid for three months due to financial disputes among management. 

According to the International Chamber of Shipping, there are approximately 1.6 million people who work on international trade merchant ships.