ILO Workshop Highlights Key Challenges, Opportunities to Decent Work for Pacific Island Seafarers

The workshop focused on the maritime industry in Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, emphasizing its vital contribution to regional sustainable development and poverty alleviation.

On September 18, 2024, the International Labour Organization (ILO) hosted a virtual validation workshop to review the findings of its latest report titled "The Future of Seafarers: Emerging Challenges, Opportunities, and Achieving Decent Work for Seafarers in Selected Pacific Island Countries." The workshop focused on the maritime industry in Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, emphasizing its vital contribution to regional sustainable development and poverty alleviation.

Key Findings and Challenges: The ILO report highlights the essential role of seafarers' remittances in the economies of Pacific Island Countries (PICs). These remittances help families remain in their villages, reducing urban migration and maintaining the stability of rural communities. However, the report identifies significant challenges, including inconsistent ratification of international labour standards, gaps in implementation, and resource constraints.

Seafarers face difficulties related to outdated training infrastructure, financial and human resource limitations, and the need for stronger regulatory compliance. Despite these challenges, the sector remains critical to economic growth and poverty reduction in the region.

Recommendations for Improvement

The report offers several recommendations to address the challenges seafarers face and improve working conditions, including:

Strengthen partnerships: Enhance collaboration between maritime training schools, shipping companies, and international donors to improve seafarer training and opportunities.

Modernize training infrastructure: Update and upgrade the curriculum and infrastructure of maritime training schools to align with current industry needs.

Compliance with IMO Standards: Ensure that training and certification standards meet the International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements.

Regulatory enforcement: Improve adherence to existing maritime labour standards and conventions, particularly the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC).

Career development and gender equality: Promote professional growth, with a focus on gender equality and empowering women in the maritime sector.

Best practice collection: Gather and share best practices within the sector to enhance industry-wide improvements.

Workshop Discussions and Insights: In his opening remarks, Mr. Martin Wandera, Director of the ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries, emphasized the importance of the workshop in shaping the future for seafarers in the region. "This workshop is an opportunity to create a future where seafarers are protected, empowered, and better equipped to meet the challenges of an evolving maritime industry," he stated.

Stakeholders acknowledged the critical role of seafarers in combating poverty and generating remittances, stressing the need for collaborative efforts to shape policies and programs that protect their welfare.

Ms. Murielle Metsan Meltenoven, Vanuatu's Commissioner of Labour, highlighted the importance of aligning with international standards, such as the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), to safeguard seafarers' rights. "Ensuring that we meet international labour standards is crucial. Together, we can pave the way for a brighter future for seafarers, where their rights, well-being, and decent work are prioritized," she added.

Next StepsThe feedback and suggestions from the workshop will be integrated into the final version of the report. Once completed, the report will be published and shared with stakeholders, including government agencies, training institutes, and employers' and workers' organizations. The recommendations aim to guide policy decisions and interventions to improve working conditions for seafarers in the Pacific Island region.

The validation workshop was part of the ILO's Pacific Climate Change, Migration, and Human Security–Phase II Program (PCCMHS) and saw participation from various government officials, training institutions, and industry representatives across the PICs.