Holy See hails new Maritime Labour Convention

(Feb. 25, 2006) - The Holy See has expressed satisfaction over the new Maritime Labour Convention adopted on Thursday by the International Labour Organization, ILO, saying it will not only protect the rights of the world’s 1.25 million seafarers but also ensure decent life for them and their families. Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, Vatican representative to the Geneva-based U.N. agencies expressed the Holy See’s satisfaction in a speech he delivered during the 94^th Maritime Session of the International Labour Conference held in Geneva, Feb. 7-23.
The new Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, was overwhelmingly supported by delegates of more than 100 countries representing seafarers, ship-owners and governments. Juan Somavia, the Director-General of the International Labour Organization, said, "We adopted a Convention that spans continents and oceans, providing a comprehensive labour charter for the world's 1.2 million or more seafarers and addressing the evolving realities and needs of a sector that handles 90 per cent of the world's trade."
“Life at sea will still be difficult and dangerous for the world’s 1.25 million seafarers, but,” Archbishop Tomasi said, “we are confident that the adoption of this comprehensive convention on maritime labour standards, while not eroding existing seafarers’ rights, will provide the appropriate environment for the emergence of a new maritime world order that will provide ‘opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work, in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity.” In the face of a globalized maritime world that is fast developing, Archbishop Tomasi said one first needs to ensure “that each human face is… warmly recognised for the personal worth and inalienable dignity he or she has and for the professional contribution he or she makes to maritime work.” He highlighted the Catholic Church’s commitment to the welfare of seafarers saying it runs 526 centres fro them in 126 countries of the world. “The whole maritime industry will have a better future with healthier, more satisfied, qualified, and adequately protected seafarers and their families,” Archbishop Tomasi added.