AS MLC 2006 KICKS-OFF IN NIGERIA:

• But, NIMASA Passes Vote Of Confidence On Inspectors

Nigeria yesterday flagged-off implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006, ending one year of anxiety about her readiness to meet the statutory one year moratorium on implementation, having submitted the convention’s instrument of ratification on June 18, 2013 at the Headquarters of the International Labour Organisation in Geneva, Switzerland.
And at a ceremony to mark the flag-off, the Ministry of Labour and Productivity charged the newly-appointed inspectors who will enforce compliance with the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006, to uphold integrity in the discharge of their duty as the country may be blacklist from the convention if found wanting.

Minister of Labour and Productivity made this known yesterday during the official flag-off ceremony of entry into force of the convention in Lagos which was attended by stakeholders..

Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. O.C Illoh at a commemorative ceremony which held at the Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited, Lagos Ports Complex (LPC), the minister earned that ship captains can easily lure the inspectors through alcohol and other substance, but admonished that, if they duly face their responsibilities they will not fall prey to the antics of ship captains. He warned that any fault on the part of the inspectors would be a minus on the part NIMASA.
Speaking further, the Permanent Secretary reiterated that what is most important is the performance from the inspectors, adding that, for MLC 2006 to succeed, the inspectors must discharge their duties diligently.

According to him, the ship is totally an institution on its own saying that survey on ships is quite different from that of land.

But reacting, the NIMASA Executive Director of Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Barrister Calistus Obi passed a vote of confidence on the ship inspectors.

According to him, the inspectors are well trained; he vouched that they will not do anything contrary to the duty assigned to them.

Obi added that all qualified inspectors had a pass mark of 70 per cent and above which is a clear indication that they will discharge their duty diligently.

"We are very convinced and we are sure that they will do a very good job and they are going to be monitored, but above all we know they will do the nation proud", he assured.
But the permanent secretary said at the flag-off of implementation yesterday that NIMASA needed at least 100 trained and capable hands to carry out the vital job of inspectors as expected.

He added that the issue of standard is critical in inspection of vessels, noting that ILO frowns at misconduct on the side of the inspectors.
“The way the ILO works is that if you are caught violating the international convention and you are taken to the committee on arbitration of panel it attracts a penalty; if we are not careful by violating the convention, Nigeria might be blacklisted and the country will face international embarrassment so it is not an easy thing", he explained.

He urged the inspectors to live up to expectations, adding that the ministry will work on an executive memo to the Federal Executive Council (FEC),to formally notify the Federal Government that the MLC 2006 has come into force in Nigeria.

"You must have the following attributes on labour inspection: you must be unbiased, you must act as the referee between the ship captains and owners and with the seafarers and to also keep to the norms and ethics, above all maintain standard"

"If officers are not trained and capacitated by skills and knowledgeable with the right attitude or proper technique, there is no way they can perform and if they are not trained properly they may chicken out”,he advised.

He however lauded the efforts of NIMASA for making it possible for Nigeria to join the league of MLC, 2006implementing nations.

The MLC 2006 is a new global policy that targets improved applicability, readability and enforceability of the maritime workers labour rules.
The new convention also enables ship-owners and government to provide decent conditions of work to seafarers.