Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 644: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps he will take to address exploitation of workers in the maritime sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9026/11]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The terms and conditions of employment on board vessels are a matter primarily for the State in which a ship is registered. A comprehensive body of Irish employment rights legislation governs the conditions of employment of workers on board vessels under the Irish flag. This would include legislation dealing with minimum wages.

If a vessel is not registered in Ireland, then the Port State control inspections cover the International Maritime Organisation's various Safety and Environment Protection Conventions as well as the International Labour Organisation Conventions. The inspection of the latter includes the welfare of the crew (food, accommodation, hours of work etc.) but would exclude rates of pay. Ireland has consistently supported the International Labour Organisation in its efforts to promote global labour standards for seafarers.

A new consolidated Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) was adopted in February 2006 at the 94th International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Ireland was represented at the Conference by a tripartite delegation consisting of Government officials, nominees of employers (IBEC) and of workers (ICTU). The new Convention sets out clear principles and rights for seafarers. Before it can come into force, the MLC has to be ratified by at least 30 Member States with a total share in the world gross tonnage of ships of 33%. To date, 12 States with 48% of the world gross tonnage have ratified the Convention. EU Member States are committed to ratifying the new Convention and it is expected to come into force internationally in 2011 or 2012.