Hellas and Finland ratify the ILO MLC 2006
On January 2013, the Government of Finland and Greece deposited with the International Labour Office the instrument of ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006) They are the 33rd and 34th ILO member State to ratify this landmark Convention, which sets out decent working and living conditions for seafarers while creating conditions of fair competition for shipowners. The MLC, 2006 will enter into force on 20 August 2013, that is 12 months after the date on which it was ratified by 30 Members with a total share in the world gross tonnage of ships of at least 33 per cent.
Finland has under its flag vessels totalling 1.5 million gross tons representing 0.15 per cent of the world tonnage of ships. The port of Helsinki is among the busiest ports in the Baltic Sea with the value of its cargo traffic standing approximately one-third of all Finnish foreign trade.
In welcoming the ratification of the MLC, 2006 by Finland, the Director-General, Mr Guy Ryder, stated: "Only five days after registering the ratification of the MLC, 2006 by Greece - Europe's southernmost country, Finland - Europe's northernmost country - joins today the group of maritime nations who endorse the principles and standards set out in the MLC, 2006 in the interest of promoting quality shipping operations and protecting all those men and women who earn their living at sea. The ratification by Finland comes on top of the ten other ratifications already received for European Union countries in implementation of the EU Council decision of 2007 authorizing the ratification of the Convention and inviting member States to complete the ratification process rapidly. This ratification proves that there is a strong momentum in Europe for the ratification and implementation of this significant instrument and signals to the remaining 16 EU members to come on board. I am confident that several other European countries which are finalizing their preparations for the legislative implementation of the MLC, 2006 will soon follow the example of Finland."
