Taking place on 10 and 11 December, the third Symposium on the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 and related case law was successfully concluded.  The event was jointly organized by the International Training of the ILO and SRI.   Lawyers, judges and academics from around the world participated in the event.

Deirdre Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of SRI, spoke about how MLC, 2006 is affecting domestic laws and the key aspects of it that are prevailing in litigation today.  Together with Professor Hilton Staniland, they examined the considerations to make use of the MLC, 2006 in the courts of a jurisdiction.

Other speakers included Rear-Admiral Jean-Marc Schindler who chaired the Maritime Labour Convention conferences from 2001-2006 and the Joint IMO/ILO ad hoc expert working group on seafarers’ claims. He addressed participants on the subject of the MLC, 2006 as a living convention, and the many ways in which the Convention is evolving.

Charles Boyle of Nautilus, spoke about the working and living conditions of those engaged in the maritime industry, while Jabeth Sen Pepath Dacany (Philippines), Francisco Venetucci (Argentina), and Tryfon Alykatoras (Greece), all contributed with examinations of court decisions from their respective national courts.  Also adding their expertise to the event were moderator Monica Rossi Rizzi as well as Beatriz Vacotto (ILO) and Professor Laura Carballo.

Reviewing the two-day event, Deirdre Fitzpatrick said: “Despite the widespread ratification of the MLC, 2006, seafarers are still facing challenges that lead to litigation and labour disputes. Legal practitioners, judges and academics have an important role to play in the interpretation and enforcement of the Convention in national courts.  The symposium, which is hosted annually, is an ideal forum for the maritime legal community to come together and examine jurisprudence on key issues that have arisen over the past year, thus building and expanding the effectiveness of the MLC.”