Seafarers, ship owners and maritime stakeholders now have a hotline that will provide information on the Maritime Labor Convention of 2006, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Monday.
DOLE-NCR Regional Director Alex Avila said the public can call the number (02) 440-3918 to know more about the convention, which is considered as a bill of rights of seafarers.
In a statement, Avila said the hotline will help ensure that the rules and regulations issued by the DOLE, including certification requirements and measures to be observed by ship owners, "are understood by the public.”
He added the MLC hotline was established as part of the procedure in the issuance of the Maritime Labor Certificate.
DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the hotline is "very important in communicating the DOLE’s policies, programs, and services on the MLC, 2006."
"It will facilitate maritime stakeholders’ access to valuable information on our efforts to comply with the MLC, 2006,” she said.
Baldoz presided over the start of the DOLE and International Labor Convention’s joint advocacy and consultation workshop on the implementation of the MLC 2006 and the DOLE’s new Labor Law Compliance System in Manila.
4th pillar
Baldoz said the MLC 2006's entry into force makes it the “fourth pillar” of the international regulatory regime for quality shipping.
“The MLC, 2006, complements the key conventions of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), such as the Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended (SOLAS); Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping, 1978, as amended (STCW); and Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 73/78 (MARPOL)," she said.
Baldoz also said that in compliance with the MLC 2006, the DOLE authorized nine Recognized Organizations (ROs) to inspect and certify Philippine-registered ships (PRVs) engaged in international voyages.
“As of today, 103 ships, out of the 135 listed PRVs in the MARINA, have already been issued the DMLC Part I, and two vessels have already been issued the Maritime Labour Certificate by Bureau Veritas, one of the nine ROs,” she said.
She added the ROs are the government and the maritime sector’s partners in implementing five tripartite process issuances on the MLC, 2006, including:
• Department Order No. 129, the “Rules and Regulations Governing the Employment and Working Conditions of Seafarers Onboard Ships Engaged in Domestic Shipping”
• D.O. No. 130, the “Rules and Regulations on the Employment of Filipino Seafarers Onboard Philippine-registered Ships Engaged in International Voyage”
• D.O. No. 130-A or “Guidelines on the Authorization of Recognized Organizations to Conduct Inspection and Certification of Philippine-registered Ships Engaged in International Voyages”
• Labor Advisory No. 02-2013, the “Requirements for Compliance with MLC, 2006”
• D.O. No. 132, the “Guidelines on Maritime Occupational Safety and Health”
Baldoz said the consultation workshop is part of the DOLE's efforts to get inputs to the new Labor Laws Compliance System (LLCS), and to generate support for the proposed Magna Carta for seafarers.
“As the world’s premier and preferred source of quality seafarers, the government is committed to exhaust best efforts to protect them and promote their welfare and interest,” she said.