Compliance and Conformity in Maritime Labour Law. The Maritime Labour Convention

The Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006) contains all updated maritime labour standards and provides effective procedures to ensure their implementation by the Member States, as well as a mechanism for monitoring compliance. As an element not found in any of the International Labour Organization's (ILO) conventions, its provisions introduce a certification system for social and working conditions on merchant ships. The Maritime Labour Convention of 2006 establishes three distinct levels of regulatory authority in the maritime industry: flag state, port state, and maritime labour supply states. The system established to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Convention consists of inspections, reports, monitoring measures, and legal proceedings in accordance with the applicable legislation. The verification of conformity concerns only compliance with the working and living conditions on board ships. In the event that the fundamental rights of seafarers as provided for in Article III of the Convention are violated, the only way to remedy this is to resort to national enforcement mechanisms or supervisory procedures established under the ILO Constitution. In this article, we intend to present the actual procedures that ensure the implementation of maritime labour standards by the Member States. The article is based on ILO sources and EU legislative provisions and is accompanied by a doctrinal analysis.