Social partners
Social dialogue in this sector covers the following activities (defined by NACE (Rev. 2) codes 50.1 and 50.2 as well as as part from code 52.2)
- sea and coastal passenger and freight transport
- support activities for maritime transportation.
The EU maritime transport sector employs some 230 000 people (Eurostat, Labour Force Survey data 2014).
European shipping accounts for over 40 % of the world’s fleet. The EU has some of the world’s largest maritime clusters.
90% of European exports and over 41 % of intra-EU trade are transported by boat.
Workers' organisations
Employers' organisations
Challenges
The number of EU seafarers employed on EU-flagged ships has fallen rapidly in recent years, and only a minority of the world’s vessels now sail under EU-country flags.
EU regulation has opened up national markets to competition. Globalisation and the use of ‘open registers’ (in countries that are far more attractive to ship-owners than Europe in terms of tax, social legislation and safety and environmental standards), are serious challenges for the sector.
EU strategy
To meet these challenges, the EU has developed a global strategy to make the EU fleet more competitive.
The strategy includes ‘positive measures’ and improving on-board safety and environmental protection by enforcing international standards inside the EU, ensuring a level playing field for those carrying goods by sea between EU ports.
Key areas
The Committee is currently focusing on:
- improving workers’ rights for seafarers
- exploring the possibility of incorporating ILO Maritime Labour Convention amendments on abandonment, disability and death of seafarers into EU law
- monitoring the Schengen visa system and security/seafarers’ ID
- piracy
- making the sector more attractive – improving on-board living and working conditions, better skills and training for seafarers
- combating bullying and harassment
- health and safety.
Activities and meetings
Check the library entries for this sectoral social dialogue committee.
Achievements/Joint texts
Check the social dialogue texts database