Know your rights, claim your rights!
Seafarers’ rights have various sources, including Flag State law, Port State law, your contract of employment, and international law, including through the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Your home State’s laws may govern your contract of employment, and your home State should assist you through its consular offices.
If you face a legal problem, you should always seek advice from your union and a lawyer who can address your specific situation.
EXPLORE YOUR RIGHTS
ABANDONED SEAFARERS
Abandonment happens because the shipowner has financial difficulties or because they can make more money by not paying the wages and the bills they owe.
CARGO HANDLING
Seafarers should never be asked to handle cargo. it is a dangerous job and should only be carried out by trained and properly equipped port workers
CRIMINALISATION
Seafarers are often unfairly blamed, and convicted, when their vessel is involved in a maritime incident. And it can be difficult to know where to turn for help.
DOUBLE BOOK KEEPING
Double bookkeeping is an unlawful accounting system in which seafarers are forced to sign two different sets of contracts and/or wage accounts.
FLAGS OF CONVENIENCE
FOCs provide a means of avoiding labour regulation in the country of ownership and become a vehicle for paying low wages, forcing long hours of work and unsafe working conditions.
MARITIME LABOUR CONVENTION
Hailed as the seafarers’ bill of rights when it came into force in August 2013, the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 set out for the first time the minimum rights that you should expect as a seafarer.
WAGES
Your wage rates will depend on whether you are serving on a national flag vessel or a ship covered by an ITF agreement.
YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS
Seafarers’ rights is a complex area since your rights can exist at different levels and they can be overlapping and sometimes conflicting.