Recently, crew member Mr. Hu from Weishan County, Jining City completed work-related injury insurance registration, becoming the first inland waterway cargo ship crew member in the province to participate in work-related injury insurance as a single insurance type without establishing a labor relationship, marking a breakthrough in achieving full coverage of work-related injury protection for waterborne workers in Jining.
The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal runs through Jining, where the inland waterway shipping industry is highly developed and the number of crew members is large. Crew members are engaged in high-risk operations such as ship navigation, cargo loading and unloading, and engine room duty for long periods, with prominent occupational injury risks. For a long time, because most crew members cannot establish standard labor relations with enterprises, it has been difficult to include them in work-related injury insurance protection, resulting in a livelihood shortfall in the industry with no safety net for work injuries and no channels for rights protection, which also restricts the healthy development of the inland waterway shipping industry.
To solve this problem, the Jining Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau took the lead, coordinating with the finance, transportation, trade union, and taxation departments, conducting field research at ports, docks, and shipping enterprises, extensively soliciting opinions from crew members and industry associations, and actively seeking policy support from higher authorities. In 2026, with approval from the Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security, Jining took the lead in the province in launching a pilot program for single-insurance-type work-related injury insurance for inland waterway cargo ship crew members who cannot establish labor relations.
The pilot innovatively breaks through the prerequisite threshold of labor relations for insurance participation, clarifying that water transport enterprises can separately handle work-related injury insurance for certified inland waterway cargo ship crew members without standard labor relations. Enterprises pay the full premium, with zero burden on individuals. Insured personnel enjoy the same work-related injury medical treatment, rehabilitation, disability, and death benefits as regular employees of the enterprise, effectively filling the protection gap for flexible waterborne workers.
During the implementation of the policy, Jining formed a joint publicity team, going down to frontline dock enterprises, accurately disseminating the policy through policy interpretation, on-site Q&A, and distribution of promotional materials, and providing door-to-door guidance on insurance procedures in key counties, successfully completing the first insurance policy in the province. At the same time, the handling process was optimized, adopting a model of territorial management, voluntary insurance, and monthly payment, streamlining the procedures for insurance registration, fee payment, work injury identification, and benefit application, smoothing channels for consultation and appeals, and efficiently solving operational difficulties for enterprises and crew members.
“Sailing ships is high-risk. Having exclusive work-related injury insurance makes work safer and gives us peace of mind,” many insured crew members sincerely praised. Currently, multiple shipping enterprises in Jining have completed registration, and the first batch of crew members has been fully included in the scope of work-related injury protection. The pilot operation is proceeding smoothly and orderly.
This pilot is a practical measure by Jining to practice the people-centered development philosophy and weave a tight social security safety net. It not only mitigates the occupational risks of crew members and protects their legitimate rights and interests but also helps shipping enterprises reduce employment risks and optimize the business environment, providing solid support for stabilizing employment and promoting development in the inland waterway shipping industry. In the next step, Jining will continue to improve the pilot policy, optimize handling services, strengthen departmental coordination, summarize replicable experience, and continuously expand insurance coverage, so that work-related injury insurance benefits every waterborne worker.
Policy Links
According to the relevant provisions of the “Regulations on Work-Related Injury Insurance”, inland waterway cargo ship crew members who cannot establish labor relations cannot be included in the scope of work-related injury insurance protection. To effectively solve the problem of “no protection after injury, difficult implementation of protection” for this group, Jining City secured a pilot program from Shandong Province for inland waterway cargo ship crew members who cannot establish labor relations to participate in work-related injury insurance, effective from April 1, 2026, for a period of two years. This pilot is not only a powerful means to solve the urgent problems of the people but also an important measure to support Jining’s construction of a “Northern Inland Waterway Shipping Center”, further improving and perfecting the social security system, dispersing the work injury risks of water transport enterprises, and protecting the work injury rights of inland waterway cargo ship crew members.
I. Insured Objects. Mainly inland waterway cargo ship crew members who cannot establish labor relations and hold a valid “Certificate of Competency for Inland Waterway Ship Crew of the People’s Republic of China”. This policy is based on voluntary insurance. Water transport enterprises within our city’s administrative region can handle single-insurance-type work-related injury insurance for the aforementioned inland waterway cargo ship crew members who cannot establish labor relations at their place of registration. After insurance, work-related injury insurance premiums are paid monthly, and the enterprise bears the work-related injury insurance responsibility according to law. Inland waterway cargo ship crew members do not pay individually.
II. Payment Standards. For inland waterway cargo ship crew members participating in single-insurance-type work-related injury insurance, the payment rate is implemented according to the industry payment rate for the water transport industry. The industry base rate is 1.1%, the payment base is the previous year’s provincial average salary of all full-time urban unit employees, and the work-related injury insurance premium is calculated and paid based on the actual number of insured persons. Single-insurance-type work-related injury insurance for inland waterway cargo ship crew members is managed under a real-name system. When there are increases or decreases in inland waterway cargo ship crew members, the water transport enterprise promptly handles social insurance addition or removal procedures through the social insurance online service system or at the local social insurance service hall. After completing the work-related injury insurance registration procedures, if the premium is paid within the specified time, the work-related injury insurance relationship takes effect from the day following the insurance registration; if the premium is not paid within the specified time after completing the registration procedures, the work-related injury insurance relationship takes effect from the day following the actual payment of the work-related injury insurance premium.
III. Work Injury Benefits. For inland waterway cargo ship crew members participating in single-insurance-type work-related injury insurance who suffer work-related accidents or contract occupational diseases, their work injury identification, labor ability appraisal, and work-related injury insurance benefits paid by the work-related injury insurance fund shall refer to the relevant provisions of the “Regulations on Work-Related Injury Insurance”, the “Implementation Measures of Shandong Province for the “, and the “Notice of the Shandong Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security and 7 Other Departments on Issuing the ” (Lu Ren She Gui [2024] No. 2). The work-related injury insurance benefits that should be paid by the employer as stipulated in the “Regulations on Work-Related Injury Insurance” and the “Implementation Measures of Shandong Province for the ” shall be handled or resolved through negotiation between the water transport enterprise and the inland waterway cargo ship crew member according to the agreement.
Employers shall not change inland waterway cargo ship crew members who should legally participate in social insurance to single-insurance-type work-related injury insurance. Water transport enterprises and inland waterway cargo ship crew members shall truthfully provide relevant materials and assist in accident investigation and verification. Those who fraudulently obtain work-related injury insurance benefits by fabricating work injury accidents or forging work injury materials shall be dealt with according to the law in accordance with the provisions of the “Social Insurance Law”, “Regulations on Work-Related Injury Insurance”, “Measures for the Management of Reports on Supervision of Social Insurance Funds”, etc.
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