Maritime Labour Convention (MLC)
The Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006) is the International Labour Organization convention that sets comprehensive minimum standards for the working and living conditions of seafarers. Widely ratified and often called the seafarers' “bill of rights,” it consolidated dozens of earlier maritime labour instruments into a single, enforceable framework, and is regarded as the fourth pillar of international maritime regulation alongside SOLAS, MARPOL and STCW.
The MLC covers seafarers' rights and conditions across the board: minimum age, employment contracts, wages, hours of work and rest, leave, repatriation, accommodation and food, medical care, health and safety, and access to welfare, as well as regulating recruitment and placement (manning agencies). Compliance is certified — ships carry a Maritime Labour Certificate and a Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance — and enforced by flag states and by Port State Control, which can detain non-compliant ships. The MLC is central to seafarer welfare and crew management, and its provisions (on rest hours, repatriation and conditions) shape day-to-day crewing and manning practices. It is a cornerstone of the protection of the people who crew the world's ships.
The MLC is the seafarers' bill of rights — the fourth pillar of maritime regulation that guarantees minimum standards on wages, rest, repatriation, accommodation and welfare, enforced by certification and Port State Control. It shapes every aspect of crewing and manning, and is the framework that protects the two million people who keep the world's ships running.
What does the MLC cover?
Seafarers' minimum age, contracts, wages, hours of rest, leave, repatriation, accommodation, food, medical care and welfare, plus recruitment and placement.
How is MLC compliance enforced?
Through flag-state certification (the Maritime Labour Certificate and Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance) and Port State Control, which can detain non-compliant ships.