Prolonged assessment of the sustainability of seafarers’ welfare facilities has identified the Port Welfare Committee (PWC) structure as one of the primary means of assisting welfare providers to maintain and develop facilities and services within a port.  The structure, together with its national coordinating body, the National Seafarers’ Welfare Board (NSWB) is enshrined in ILO Convention 163 and Recommendation 173.  Experience gained through the regional seafarers’ welfare development programmes and other activities suggested the need for a clear, unambiguous guide to the initiation and maintenance of these structures.  In response to this need the ICSW developed its PWC/NSWB Guide during 2005, drawing on the experience of its members and using practical examples from around the world.  This publication was trialled at the Chennai seminar and has subsequently been used to good effect in the initiation of port welfare committees in Bangladesh , India , Pakistan and Sri Lanka , with feedback being incorporated into update editions of the guide, which has also been translated into a variety of languages; a Russian version was added in 2006.

Click here to download PWC/NSWB Guide (English)

Click here to download PWC/NSWB Guide (Russian)

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