Section 56Sec./Art. 56

Maritime Industry Labor Conciliator-Mediators and Arbitrators. - The Secretaries of the DMW and the DOLE, together with the heads of relevant government agencies, shall establish a pool of trained maritime industry conciliator-mediators, labor arbiters, and accredited maritime industry voluntary arbitrators. They shall handle the mediation, conciliation, or arbitration of all issues relating to the employment of seafarers. They shall have expertise appropriate competence, integrity, and knowledge of the Philippine and global maritime industry practices and standards, MLC 2006, as amended, and related Philippine-ratified conventions and treaties.

For this purpose, the DMW, the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC), and the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) may form a specialized maritime unit in their respective labor dispute settlement structures, as well as issue the appropriate maritime industry dispute settlement rules of procedure to implement the provisions of this Act.