The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA); Dr. Dakuku Peterside has commended the International Labour Organisation (ILO) for the planned review of Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006, even as he advised that considerations should be given to peculiarities of the different geopolitical areas of the world in the various amendments.
The ILO which is currently meeting in Geneval, Switzerland is expected to consider amendments to the MLC 2006. On the expected changes, NIMASA DG noted after 10 years, the MLC 2006 is ripe for a review to meet the challenges of emerging trends.
The MLC 2006, to which Nigeria has already submitted her instrument of ratification, is an International Labour Organization convention as the fourth pillar of international maritime law. It embodies all up-to-date standards of existing international maritime labour Conventions and Recommendations, as well as the fundamental principles to be found in other international labour Conventions.
The convention entered into force on 20 August 2013, one year after registering 30 ratifications of countries representing over 33 per cent of the world gross tonnage of ships. As of August 2017, the convention has been ratified by 84 states representing over 89 per cent of global shipping.
Meanwhile, while addressing participants at the Business AFRICA meeting on the side lines of the 107th session of the ILO Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, the NIMASA DG stressed the importance of human factors to successful shipping, stating that it is one of the most important elements in achieving competitive edge and safety in the maritime industry.
The NIMASA DG who noted that the maritime industry must partner with workers to develop a strategy that will contribute to the constant development of human resources in the sector, also said that investment in workforce will guarantee success of firms and boost their profitability.
According to him, “employees are the most critical factor that determines the success of a firm, this is even truer in the Maritime industry that is capital intensive and where safety is paramount so constant training and development as well as welfare of workforce must be taken seriously“ he said.
He further urged African businessmen to pay great attention to welfare of workers in order to be able to compete favourably in the international market adding that the maritime industry in particular could play greater role in the economic growth of third world countries if the right investment is made in the sector.
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