M Mdladlana at Maritime Session of ILO

21 February 2006

Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana commended an International Labour
Organisation’s (ILO) newly proposed convention, which recognises improved
working conditions for the maritime industry, saying it will add value to the
success of Accelerated and Shared Growth initiative for South Africa (Asgisa),
which aims to create sustainable jobs and alleviate poverty.

Minister Mdladlana said this during his address of the 94th Maritime Session
of the ILO, which brought together 88 countries, labour organisations and
business representatives in Geneva on Tuesday.

The highlights of the session included recommendations on the proposed
convention, which puts emphasis on the protection of vulnerable workers,
globally accepted labour standards, decent work, conditions of employment,
suitable accommodation, recreational facilities, food and catering,
occupational health and safety, welfare and social protection, compliance and
enforcement issues, minimum age for work onboard ships, hours of work, and
repatriation.

“For the maritime industry this strategy (Asgisa) implies increasing South
Africa's shipping register dramatically from the 1 048 fishing vessels and the
single SOLAS Convention vessel we logged in 2004/05.

“We have begun to implement measures to lift all restrictions on South
Africa’s ability to participate in international trade, with all the benefits
that it would bring to South African mariners, businesses and so on, in ships
flying our flag,” he said.

Minister Mdladlana also added that this also requires addressing skills
deficit and gender imbalances in the field of seafaring.

He also emphasised that: “as we embark on these ambitious plans we are
conscious of the need to strengthen our national regulatory regimes and to
counteract the problems of various forms of ownership, management and control
of ships and large-scale recruitment in a number of labour-supplying countries
for service on foreign-flagged ships.”

“Although the values enshrined in those conventions and recommendations, and
indeed in this draft maritime labour convention, are embodied in our domestic
law, the Merchant Shipping Act, South Africa acknowledges that all is not well
in our maritime sector.

“However, we are committed to improving our maritime sector and to go beyond
the minimum standards contained in the proposed convention and to extend the
minimum threshold for living and working conditions that are considered to
constitute decent work in the sector.”

Enquiries: Mokgadi Pela
Cell: 082 808 2168

Issued by: Department of Labour
21 February 2006