Maritime Labour Convention (MLC)
Make a complaint
Under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), you can make a complaint about the living and working conditions on a New Zealand ship or a foreign-flagged ship in New Zealand waters.
No action can be taken against a seafarer because they have made a Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) complaint.
If you cannot resolve a complaint by using the ship’s on board complaints procedure, you can contact Maritime NZ:
- call free on 0508 22 55 22, or call your local Maritime NZ office
- talk to one of our maritime officers in person in port, or on the ship
- use our online complaints form.
Make an MLC complaint online
Go online to make a Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) complaint.
Resolve complaints on board and on shore
Under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), all seafarers have a right to:
- decent working and living conditions on board a ship
- fair terms of employment
- a safe and secure workplace.
The Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) requires all ships to have an on board complaints procedure. This procedure must allow seafarers to make a complaint without fear of recourse.
As a party to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), New Zealand has an on shore complaints procedure that seafarers can use to make complaints.
You can make a complaint about the living and working conditions on a New Zealand ship or a foreign-flagged ship in New Zealand waters where there is a breach of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) requirements.
Seafarers can make complaints directly to Maritime NZ, or to any other organisation that is directly involved in the welfare of seafarers.
How we handle complaints
When Maritime NZ receives a complaint, we will:
- undertake initial enquiries, which may include a visit to the ship
- make a strong effort to ensure we do not reveal details of the source of the complaint during any enquiry
- check whether the on board complaints procedure has been used and examine the records
- promote resolution of the matter at a shipboard level where possible
- for foreign ships, notify the flag State if we have not resolved the complaint, and seek resolution, advice, or corrective action within an agreed timeframe.
If the complaint is about employment matters on a New Zealand ship, Maritime NZ will refer the matter directly to Employment NZ. Employment NZ provides guidance on dealing with employment relationship issues, and checks that workplaces meet minimum employment standards.
Maritime Labour Convention
Visit the International Labour Organisation (ILO) website for the Maritime Labour Convention’s full text.