ILO subcommittee agrees landmark increase in global minimum wage for seafarers

Seafarers around the world will benefit from a significant pay rise after agreement was reached between representatives of industry and labour at a meeting held in Geneva from 14 to 15 April 2025.

Shipowners and seafarers’ representatives met at the Subcommittee on Wages of Seafarers of the Joint Maritime Commission, where they agreed to increase the current ILO minimum basic wage for an able seafarer from US$673 per month to US$690 as of 1 January 2026, US$704 as of 1 January 2027, and US$715 as of 1 January 2028.

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson, who led the delegation representing seafarers at the meeting, said:

‘Increases in the ILO minimum wage are very important for seafarers, so I'm really pleased that we've been able to reach an agreement acceptable to both groups despite all the volatility in the world right now.

‘We reaffirm that free trade must be fair trade, and it must also mean fair treatment for those who keep global trade moving.’

The Subcommittee will meet again in the first half of 2028 to discuss the next update to the minimum wage.