Cabinet asked to issue royal decree to better protect maritime workers

The Cabinet will Tuesday consider the plan to issue a royal decree on maritime labour, which promises legal protection and good welfare to people working on big ships. "The new law will be applied to ships of 500 gross tonnage up," Deputy Transport Minister Prasert Chantararuangthong said Monday.

He said the content of the new law would be in line with the 2006 Maritime Labour Convention. Prasert said his ministry hoped the new legal stipulation would take effect by May. Prasert said failure to comply with the convention would make it difficult or even impossible for Thai ships to moor at state-operated ports of up to 36 countries.

The Nation