Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2011, published 101st ILC session (2012)

Certification of Ships' Cooks Convention, 1946 (No. 69) - Guinea - Bissau (Ratification: 1977)

Articles 3 and 4 of the Convention. Ship’s cook certificate of qualification. Examinations for the granting of certificates of qualification. The Committee takes note of the Government’s indication that it has initiated the ratification process of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006), and that it is, consequently, unable to report on the application of the present Convention. The Government indicates that a comparative analysis of the MLC, 2006, and national legislation was carried out with the Office’s assistance, and that the MLC, 2006, is currently before the Popular National Assembly for consideration. The Committee further notes that, in its earlier comments, it had emphasised that Convention No. 69 only allows the competent authority – not the captain – to grant exemptions from the obligation of the ship’s cook to hold a certificate of qualification, and solely in the event of an inadequate supply of certificated ships’ cooks. The Committee had also recalled that it is for the national authority to make arrangements for the holding of examinations and for the granting of certificates of qualification. The Committee draws the Government’s attention to the fact that the minimum standards on training and qualification of ship’s cook have been incorporated in Regulation 3.2(3), Standard A3.2 and Guideline B3.2.2 of the MLC, 2006, and therefore the application of the provisions of Convention No. 69 would facilitate the implementation of the corresponding provisions of the MLC, 2006. The Committee expresses the hope that legislation giving effect to Articles 3 and 4 of the Convention will soon be adopted and requests the Government to keep the Office informed of any development, with regard to the ratification process and the effective implementation of the MLC, 2006.