Seamen's Articles of Agreement Convention, 1926 (No. 22) - Anguilla

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In order to provide a comprehensive view of the issues relating to the application of these Conventions on the maritime sector, the Committee considers it appropriate to examine Conventions Nos 22, 23, and 108 together.

The Committee recalls that, in the framework of the Standards Review Mechanism, the ILO Governing Body, as recommended by the Special Tripartite Committee on the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, as amended (MLC, 2006), classified Conventions Nos 22, 23, and 108 as “outdated”. At its 343rd Session (November 2021), the Governing Body placed an item on the agenda of the 118th Session (2030) of the International Labour Conference concerning the abrogation of Conventions Nos 22 and 23 and requested the Office to encourage once again the Member States which have already ratified the MLC, 2006 but remain bound by Conventions Nos 22 and 23 in respect of non-metropolitan territories, to extend the application of the MLC, 2006 to those territories and to encourage Member States that are still bound by Convention No. 108 to ratify the Seafarers’ Identity Documents Convention (Revised), 2003, as amended (No. 185). The Committee, therefore, encourages the Government to consider extending the application of the MLC, 2006 to Anguilla as well as ratifying Convention No. 185 and extending its application to Anguilla.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Committee notes with  deep concern  the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the protection of seafarers’ rights as laid out in the Conventions.  In this regard, the Committee refers to the resolution adopted by the Governing Body in its 340th Session ( GB.340/Resolution) concerning maritime labour issues and COVID-19 disease, which calls on Member States to take measures to address the adverse impacts of the pandemic on seafarers’ rights, and requests the Government to provide information in its next report on any temporary measures adopted in this regard, their duration and their impact on seafarers’ rights.

Seamen’s Articles of Agreement Convention, 1926 (No. 22)

Articles 3–6 of the Convention. Conditions for signing and content of the articles of the agreement. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to indicate the measures taken to give effect to these provisions of the Convention. The Committee notes that, in its report, the Government states that (1) Anguilla currently does not have registered vessels of more than 100 tons or 300 cubic metres; (2) according to the Merchant Shipping (Categorisation of Registries of Relevant British Possessions) Order, Anguilla is a Category 2 Shipping Registry under the United Kingdom and therefore, as a general rule, may not register vessels exceeding 150 gross tonnage; (3) the Small Commercial Vessels Regulations implement the Code of Safety for Small Commercial Vessels Operating in the Caribbean published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO); and (4) the Merchant Shipping Act 2010 and the Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Act, 2020 are relevant in this context. The Committee observes, however, that the aforementioned Regulations do not contain any provisions on the seamen’s articles of agreements and that the Act mentioned by the Government does not contain specific provisions giving effect to the Convention. Recalling that only ships of less than 100 gross tonnage may be excluded from the application of the Convention, the Committee requests the Government to indicate the measures taken to give full effect to Articles 3 to 6. The Committee further requests the Government to provide information on any development concerning the number and tonnage of ships registered in Anguilla.

Repatriation of Seamen Convention, 1926 (No. 23)

Articles 3–6. Entitlement to repatriation. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to indicate the measures taken to give effect to these provisions of the Convention. The Committee notes the Government’s reference to the Merchant Shipping Act 2010 and the Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Act, 2020, which, however, do not contain any provisions on repatriation. Likewise, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that the Small Commercial Vessels Regulations implement the Code of Safety for Small Commercial Vessels Operating in the Caribbean published by the IMO. The Committee observes, however, that the aforementioned Regulations do not contain any provisions on repatriation. In light of the above, the Committee once again requests the Government to indicate the measures taken to give effect to Articles 3–6 of the Convention.

Seafarers’ Identity Documents Convention, 1958 (No. 108)

Article 6. Permission to enter a territory. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to indicate how it ensures compliance with Article 6. The Committee notes that the Government refers to the Merchant Shipping Act 2010 and the Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Act, 2020 and other national provisions which, however, do not give effect to Article 6. The Committee once again recalls that, according to Article 6, each Member shall permit the entry into a territory for which the Convention is in force of a seafarer holding a valid seafarer’s identity document, when entry is requested for temporary shore leave while the ship is in port. The Committee once again requests the Government to indicate how it gives effect to this requirement of the Convention.

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The Committee notes that the Government’s reports on the application of the maritime Conventions contain no reply to its previous comments. It hopes that the next reports will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct requests. In order to provide a comprehensive view of the issues to be addressed in relation to the application of these Conventions, the Committee considers it appropriate to examine them in a single comment, as follows.

The Committee notes that, based on the recommendations adopted by the Special Tripartite Committee established under the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, as amended (MLC, 2006), in the framework of the review of maritime related instruments, the Governing Body has decided that member States having ratified the MLC, 2006, and still bound by Conventions Nos 22 and 23 in respect of non metropolitan territories, should be encouraged to extend the application of the MLC, 2006, to such territories (see GB.334/LILS/2). In this context, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on any further developments concerning the extension of the application of the MLC, 2006, to Anguilla.

Seamen’s Articles of Agreement Convention, 1926 (No. 22)

Articles 3–6 of the Convention. Conditions for signing and content of the articles of the agreement. The Committee noted in its previous comments the Government’s indication that the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 of the United Kingdom is extended to Anguilla by virtue of section 1(1)(c) of the Act which defines “British ship” as a ship registered under the law of a relevant British possession. It also noted that section 1(3) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 defines “United Kingdom ship” separately to mean a ship registered in the United Kingdom. However, the Committee has also noted that section 25 of the Merchant Shipping Act, which regulates crew agreements, only refers to persons employed as seamen on a “United Kingdom ship”. The Committee therefore requests once again the Government to indicate the measures taken to give effect to Articles 3–6 of the Convention.

Repatriation of Seamen Convention, 1926 (No. 23)

Articles 3–6 of the Convention. Entitlement to repatriation. The Committee noted in its previous comments the Government’s indication that the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 of the United Kingdom is extended to Anguilla by virtue of section 1(1)(c) of the Act which defines British ships as ships registered under the law of a relevant British possession. It also noted that section 1(3) of the Act defines United Kingdom ships separately to mean ships registered in the United Kingdom. However, the Committee has already noted that section 73 of the Merchant Shipping Act, which implements the basic requirements of the Convention, refers only to persons employed as seafarers on United Kingdom ships. Therefore, the Committee again requests the Government to indicate the measures taken to give effect to Articles 3–6 of the Convention.

Seafarers’ Identity Documents Convention, 1958 (No. 108)

Article 6. Permission to enter a territory. The Committee requested in its previous comments that the Government indicates how the requirements of this Article of the Convention are complied with. It notes that the Government’s last report provides no information in this regard. The Committee recalls that according to Article 6, each Member shall permit the entry into a territory for which the Convention is in force of a seafarer holding a valid seafarer’s identity document, when entry is requested for temporary shore leave while the ship is in port. If the seafarer’s identity document contains space for appropriate entries, each Member shall also permit the entry into a territory for which the Convention is in force of a seafarer holding a valid seafarer’s identity document when entry is requested for the purpose of: (a) joining his ship or transferring to another ship; (b) passing in transit to join his ship in another country or for repatriation; or (c) any other purpose approved by the authorities of the Member concerned. The Committee therefore once again requests the Government to indicate how it gives effect to Article 6 of the Convention.

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The Committee notes that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that the next report will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous comments.

Repetition

Articles 3 and 6 of the Convention. Conditions for signing and content of articles of agreement. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 of the United Kingdom is extended to Anguilla by virtue of section 1(1)(c) of the Act which defines British ships as ships registered under the law of a relevant British possession. It also notes that section 1(3) of the Merchant Shipping Act defines United Kingdom ships separately to mean ships registered in the United Kingdom. The Committee further notes that section 25 of the Merchant Shipping Act, which regulates crew agreements, only refers to persons employed as seamen on United Kingdom ships. The Committee therefore asks the Government to clarify how it is ensured that the provisions of the UK Merchant Shipping Act of 1995 regarding crew agreements and related regulations are applied to ships registered in Anguilla.

In addition, the Committee notes that neither the Merchant Shipping Act of 1995 nor the Merchant Shipping (Crew Agreements, Lists of Crew and Discharge of Seamen) Regulations 1991 and the Merchant Shipping Notice M. 1498 contain specific provisions to ensure that seafarers and their advisers are given reasonable facilities to examine the articles of agreement before signing them (Article 3(1)). The Committee therefore requests the Government to indicate the measures taken to effectively implement this requirement of the Convention.

Practical application. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the practical application of the Convention, including for instance, the number of seafarers covered by the relevant legislation, any standard form of crew agreement and discharge document currently in use, sample copies of seafarers’ employment agreements, copies of applicable collective agreements and inspection results showing any infringements observed and action taken.

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Articles 3 and 6 of the Convention. Conditions for signing and content of articles of agreement. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 of the United Kingdom is extended to Anguilla by virtue of section 1(1)(c) of the Act which defines British ships as ships registered under the law of a relevant British possession. It also notes that section 1(3) of the Merchant Shipping Act defines United Kingdom ships separately to mean ships registered in the United Kingdom. The Committee further notes that section 25 of the Merchant Shipping Act, which regulates crew agreements, only refers to persons employed as seamen on United Kingdom ships. The Committee therefore asks the Government to clarify how it is ensured that the provisions of the UK Merchant Shipping Act of 1995 regarding crew agreements and related regulations are applied to ships registered in Anguilla.

In addition, the Committee notes that neither the Merchant Shipping Act of 1995 nor the Merchant Shipping (Crew Agreements, Lists of Crew and Discharge of Seamen) Regulations 1991 and the Merchant Shipping Notice M. 1498 contain specific provisions to ensure that seafarers and their advisers are given reasonable facilities to examine the articles of agreement before signing them (Article 3(1)). The Committee therefore requests the Government to indicate the measures taken to effectively implement this requirement of the Convention. The Committee recalls, in this respect, that the requirement to give an opportunity to seafarers to examine and seek advice on the agreement before signing in order to ensure that they have freely entered into an agreement with sufficient understanding of their rights and responsibilities, is now reflected in Standard A2.1(1)(b) of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006), while the list of particulars that need to appear in the seafarer’s employment agreement has been extended in Standard A2.1(4) of the MLC, 2006, to include, among others, health and social security benefits and the seafarer’s entitlement to repatriation. Recalling that ensuring compliance with Convention No. 22 would facilitate the implementation of the corresponding requirements of the MLC, 2006, the Committee asks the Government to keep the Office informed of any progress made towards the effective implementation of the MLC, 2006.

Part V of the report form. Practical application. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide up-to-date information on the practical application of the Convention, including for instance, the number of seafarers covered by the relevant legislation, any standard form of crew agreement and discharge document currently in use, sample copies of seafarers’ employment agreements, copies of applicable collective agreements and inspection results showing any infringements observed and action taken.

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The Committee notes with regret that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:

Please send a full and detailed report and information on the practical application of the Convention.

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The Committee notes with regret that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:

Please send a full and detailed report and information on the practical application of the Convention.

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The Committee notes with regret that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:

Please send a full and detailed report and information on the practical application of the Convention.

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The Committee notes that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:

Please send a full and detailed report and information on the practical application of the Convention.

CMNT_TITLE

The Committee notes with regret that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:

Please send a full and detailed report and information on the practical application of the Convention.

CMNT_TITLE

The Committee notes that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which reads as follows:

Please send a full and detailed report and information on the practical application of the Convention.

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Please send a full and detailed report and information on the practical application of the Convention.