Prior to the merger of the then-Joint Maritime Labour Industrial Council (JOMALIC) with the then- National Maritime Authourity (NMA), there had been so much talk about Maritime Labour Convention 2006.
Since the 2007 merger, every responsibility for seafarers’ welfare has been domiciled in NIMASA.
Prior to the merger of the then-Joint Maritime Labour Industrial Council (JOMALIC) with the then- National Maritime Authourity (NMA), there had been so much talk about Maritime Labour Convention 2006.
Since the 2007 merger, every responsibility for seafarers’ welfare has been domiciled in NIMASA.
Irrespective of their current rating within the nation’s maritime sector, the Nigerian seafarers are arguably an important stakeholder. One can hardly forget how hot and respectable it was to be a seafarer up till the mid- 1990s; that was before the liquidation of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL).
The average age of the youngest master mariner and marine engineer in the country today is about 55 years, while there are thousands of lower cadre seafarers, few of whom are gainfully employed.
A lot of people have blamed the current travail of the Nigerian seafarer on government and by extension, NIMASA, which is the implementing agency for seafarer welfare. Without mincing words, NIMASA has not done well enough to boost the marketability of emerging seafarers, this it would have done by ensuring that the Maritime Academy of Nigeria in Oron, Akwa Ibom state is well funded, but rather than do this, it is at present funding the creation of maritime institutes in universities and also sending young Nigerians to foreign maritime academies for training in nautical sciences and marine engineering.
There are about 1.2 million seafarers in the world, and good enough, Nigerian seafarers make up a significant number of the lot.
It is instructive that the MLC 2006 is poised to ensure that every seafarer has the right to: safe and secure workplace that complies with safety standards, fair terms of employment, decent working and living conditions on board ship and health protection, medical care, welfare measures as well as other forms of social protection.
In specific, the MLC Convention covers conditions of employment, hours of work and rest, accommodation, recreational facilities, food and catering, health protection, medical care, welfare and social security protection.
In addition, parties to the treaty must ensure that ships flying their flag meet the ‘decent work’ requirements set out in the Convention, and certify that those ships comply with the requirements relating to labour conditions.
When it comes into effect next year, the MLC, 2006 will replace 37 existing ILO maritime Conventions and related Recommendations adopted since 1920.
Nigeria has finally ratified the convention, putting its name on the list of countries from West Africa that have ratified the all-important convention. They are: Liberia, Benin. Togo
While not blaming NIMASA entirely for the delay, one can hardly exonerate the agency from the failure of the government to pay attention to the convention earlier than now.
Popularly called “the seafarers bill of rights”, the MLC 2006, is expected to significantly impact on the fortunes of Nigerian seafarers. But can it?
In a country where thousands of seafarers are either unemployed or under employed, where the registry is depleting by the day, one can hardly expect anything positive, beyond the euphoria of joining the number as the convention kicks off in a few months.
We recall sadly that the nation joined others to endorse the Seafarers Identity Document (SID) some years ago, without understanding the requirements from each signatory-nation. The SID that was commissioned with pump and glamour by the then-Joint Maritime Labour Industrial Council (JOMALIC) has impacted significantly on the Nigerian maritime sector, largely because the nation’s seafaring population is depleted by unemployment.
So, we advise that rather than celebrate the ratification and imminent flag-off of the MLC, the Nigerian maritime community should work more assiduously to make Nigeria a truly maritime nation, by enhancing its fleet, offer would-be seafarers qualitative cadet education and offering more jobs to the qualified ones.
Nigeria no longer parade world-class seafarers, she no longer owns ships. But even if we no longer own ships, the abundance of budding and qualified seafarers should propel government to guarantee safety and decent work condition for them; that is the intendment of the MLC2006.
As much as we have nothing against training Nigerian cadets abroad, we urge NIMASA to look beyond the immediate and ensure a good future for those it is currently training.
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