date: 7 August 2013
embargo: For immediate release
The TUC has today (Wednesday) welcomed the announcement that the UK is to ratify the International Labour Organisation's Maritime Labour Convention (MLC).
The MLC guarantees that every seafarer, working on a ship flagged to a signatory state, is entitled to:
The new convention will come into force on August 20, 2013. However, the TUC remains concerned that funding cuts to the Maritime and Coast Guard Agency will make it harder to enforce
TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said: 'We are delighted that the government has signed up to this convention following a great campaign by theRMT and Nautilus unions, along with the British Chamber of Shipping.
'However we remain concerned that funding cuts to the Maritime and Coast Guard Agency will make it harder to enforce decent working conditions for seafarers.
'Abuses in the maritime industry can be harder to spot than in other sectors, and enforcement cannot be delivered on the cheap.'
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- The TUC's Campaign Plan can be downloaded from www.tuc.org.uk/campaignplan
- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk
- Congress 2013 will be held at the Bournemouth International Centre from Sunday 8 September to Wednesday 11 September. Free media passes can be obtained by visiting www.tuc.org.uk/media_credentials and completing an online form. Applications must be in by noon on Wednesday 28 August. Any received later than that will be processed in Bournemouth and will cost £75.
- Follow the TUC on Twitter: @tucnews
Contacts:
Media enquiries:
Rob Holdsworth T: 020 7467 1372 M: 07717 531150 E: rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk
Alex Rossiter T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07887 572130 E: arossiter@tuc.org.uk
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