New obligations proposed for providers of private employment services in maritime sector

On 7 March 2024, the Finnish Government submitted to Parliament a proposal concerning the implementation of the amendments made to the guidelines of the Maritime Labour Convention of the International Labour Organization in 2022. The proposal would adopt the amendments and bring them into force at the national level.

The amendments to the guidelines made in 2022 concern private employment services in the maritime sector and annual reporting of the deaths of seafarers to the International Labour Organization (ILO). Based on these, the Government proposes amendments to national legislation. 

The amendments include new obligations for providers of private employment services in the maritime sector. These relate to the obligation to provide information on the employment agreement and the obligation to ensure the compensability of claims arising from an employment relationship, for example. The aim is to ensure that the employment relationships of persons recruited to work at sea comply with applicable legislation and collective agreements and that the persons are competent to carry out their tasks.

In order to fulfil the obligation to report deaths, the Government proposes that the employer should notify the occupational safety and health authority of the death of a seafarer during the voyage.

The intention is for the proposed amendments to the Seafarers’ Employment Contracts Act and the Act on Public Employment and Business Services to enter into force on 23 December 2024. The proposed amendments to the Act on the Organisation of Employment Services would enter into force on 1 January 2025.

However, the proposed technical amendment to the Seafarers’ Employment Contracts Act would enter into force on 1 July 2024.

Inquiries: Katariina Jämsén, Senior Specialist, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 295 047 143