Amid growing global demand for breaking or recycling of an aging fleet of ocean-going vessels, the ILO tripartite meeting adopted new guidelines which for the first time point the way towards safer working conditions in shipbreaking. The ILO says that the soaring number of ships for recycling has lent a new sense of urgency to the need to improve the safety and health of the tens of thousands of workers who break these huge old ships.

The Bangkok meeting brought together representatives of the world's major shipbreaking countries – Bangladesh, China, India, Pakistan and Turkey – with trade unionists from the International Metalworkers' Federation affiliates in these counties and the IMF's regional representative for Asia and the Pacific, officials of the International Maritime Organisation, the Secretariat of the Basel Convention and the ILO, as well as resource persons from Canada, Germany, Norway, South Korea, the UK and the US.

The guidelines can provide advice on the step-by-step transformation of a mainly informal sector activity into the more formal, organised economy and support for the establishment of sound national frameworks for responsible ship dismantling as well as improved safety and health in shipbreaking by:

• applying relevant ILO international instruments and codes of practice;
• enhancing social dialogue in occupational safety and health;
• strengthening national legislation and enforcing OSH standards, and
• assisting governments, employers and workers through the execution of comprehensive technical cooperation projects aimed at national and enterprise levels.

Source: ILO News

For additional information, see the feature on shipbreaking on the IMF website.