Principal Secretary Prof Paul Maringa. [Photo/the-star.co.ke]Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure will establish minimum wages for seafarers to ensure that they are well remunerated, Principal Secretary Prof Paul Maringa has said.He noted that Kenyan seafarers were paid low salaries compared to their international counterparts, Maringa said it was largely due government's failure to set up a minimum pay.
Maringa said, “In close collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, we are seeking to establish a wage standard and regulations minimum for Kenyan seafarers. All this will enable us meet our obligations under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 that sets the minimum working and living standards for all seafarers”.
Maringa further added “This further seeks to set fair competition and a level-playing field for quality owners of ships flying the flags of countries that have ratified the convention.The Principal Secretary spoke on Tuesday at PrideInn Beach Resort in Mombasa during this year’s World Maritime Day celebrations organised by the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA).KMA director general, Cosmas Cherop said,“KMA is mandated among other functions, to oversee training, recruitment and welfare of the seafarers. We believe that working together with the social partners is key in realizing the objective of developing maritime labour for the international market”.