Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesia Sailors Association (KPI) has urged the government to immediately ratify the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) issued by the International Labor Organization (ILO).

"The government should pay attention to ILO MLC and review it. It should discuss it together with relevant parties if it faces problem in ratifying it," KPI Secretary Sonny Pattiselano here on Wednesday.

According to Sonny, if Indonesia does not ratify it, the Indonesian sailors will face problem if the convention has entered into force.

Sonny also referred to the revision of the Labor Law, where he called on the government to also look at the sailors` profession as "lex specialis" profession.

He said that the maritime and fisheries are classified as "lex specialis" (particular) sectors, yet until now there were many graduates of vocational marine and fisheries schools who did not yet met the required standard.

MLC is a convention made ​​by the ILO in 2006, which is yet to be enforced because only 12 countries have ratified. At least 30 countries are required to ratify it before the convention could be enforced.

The 12 countries that have ratified it are the Bahamas, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Marshall Islands, Croatia, Liberia, Norway, Panama, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Spain, and Switzerland.(*)
(A014/HAJM/A014)

Editor: Ruslan Burhani
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