ALAN JONES, PA INDUSTRIAL CORRESPONDENT
New crew on P&O ships will be paid at rates well below the minimum wage, a union has claimed amid continued anger over the sacking of 800 workers by the ferry giant.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said it had discovered another “shocking twist” to the scandal because replacement crews on P&O ships will be on “poverty pay”.
More demonstrations will be held in the next few days, with growing pressure on the company to reverse its decision and the Government to take action.
The RMT said P&O ships on the Liverpool-Dublin route have now been crewed with Filipino ratings on contracts which pay below the minimum wage.
Shipping companies which are registered in other countries and operating routes from UK ports to Europe can pay below the minimum wage because they are exempt from legislation.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “The weakness in UK employment law has not only allowed the mass dismissing of UK seafarers it has also incentivised this barbaric behaviour because employers know there may be no effective sanction to stop them doing so, and on top of that they can get away with paying below the minimum wage.
“P&O may pay more than the minimum wage at first to agency staff but they will eventually move to rates below this simply because there is nothing to stop them from doing so.
“We fear poverty pay will be accompanied by seafarers being chained to 12-hour day, seven-day week contracts that operate continuously for six months, with no pension.”
The union has called for a boycott of P&O services and is urging the Government to look at legal options to reinstate the sacked workers.
Mr Lynch added: “We need new employment legislation to protect UK seafarers. The reason P&O have not been able to sack seafarers on Dutch and French contracts is because they have far stronger national employment laws.”
A demonstration will be held outside Parliament on Monday and at the P&O ferry terminal in Cairnryan, southern Scotland, on Wednesday.
Ahead of the Parliament protest, a demonstration will also be held outside the London offices of P&O owners, DP World.
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “There was no attempt to challenge P&O on these unconscionable tactics or even question whether these actions were legal.
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“Ministers, from the Prime Minister down, have serious questions to answer.
“This a national scandal. It has to be a catalyst for change on workers’ rights.
“It’s time for the Government to urgently bring forward an employment Bill to stop workers from being treated like disposable labour and make sure what happened at P&O never happens again.
“P&O has acted appallingly. The company must immediate reinstate all sacked staff with no loss of pay.”
A spokesperson for P&O Ferries said: “We know that for our staff this redundancy came without warning or prior consultation, and we fully understand that this has caused distress for them and their families.
“We took this difficult decision as a last resort and only after full consideration of all other options, but, ultimately, we concluded that the business wouldn’t survive without fundamentally changed crewing arrangements, which in turn would inevitably result in redundancies.
“We also took the view, in good faith, that reaching agreement on the way forward would be impossible and, against this background, that the process itself would be highly disruptive, not just for the business but for UK trade and tourism.
Protests have already been staged at P&O offices and ports, with more planned (PA)
“We have offered enhanced severance terms to those affected to properly and promptly compensate them for the lack of warning and consultation.
“The changes we’ve made bring us into line with standard industry practice.
“All affected crew who were working (at the time) were notified face-to-face and in-person on board their vessels.
“For crew who were off, P&O Ferries made all efforts to notify them personally: they were individually called on the phone, as well as via email and text.
“Virtual meetings were also held but only 261 of our 800 affected staff were on those calls.
“To try to minimise disruption for our customers, we contacted everyone we could reach.
“If any passengers have any queries about travelling with us, we encourage them to get in touch with our customer services team.
“The teams escorting the seafarers off our vessels were totally professional in handling this difficult task with all appropriate sensitivity.
“Contrary to rumours, none of our people wore balaclavas nor were they directed to use handcuffs nor force.”
UK government faces emergency vote on P&O Ferries sackings
Sixty Irish workers among the 800 summarily dismissed by Dubai-owned shipping group
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Britain’s Labour party will force an emergency vote in the UK parliament on Monday over the sacking of 800 P&O Ferries workers. The party will demand that the Government takes action to outlaw the so-called fire and rehire of staff.
Labour said weekend reports suggest the British government was made aware of the sackings before they were announced, and of the plan to use “exploitative” practices to take on cheaper employees.
At least 60 employees who lost their jobs when P&O Ferries sacked them on Thursday are from Ireland, their trade union has stated. Maritime union, Nautilus International, estimated that 25 workers from the Republic and 35 from the North are among the 800 who were dismissed without notice on Thursday.
Nautilus official Mickey Smyth said most work on the European Causeway vessel which sails between Larne and Cairnryan in Scotland.
The union says it feels the actions of P&O Ferries copied the example of Irish Ferries which in 2005 sacked 543 workers back in 2005 and replaced them with cheaper foreign workers.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said such a mass sacking would not happen under current Irish/EU law as there is a transfer of undertakings in Ireland which means new workers have to get the same terms and conditions as the old ones.
Minimum wage
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union has claimed that replacement crews are being paid less than the minimum wage.
Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh has described the sackings as “a line in the sand” ahead of a vote in parliament demanding the government outlaws fire and rehire, strengthens workers’ rights, and takes action to force the company to think again.
Labour will call on the government to suspend contracts with P&O owners DP World until the matter is resolved and remove it from its transport advisory group.
Ms Haigh said: “Labour will fight every step of the way for the jobs and livelihoods of these loyal workers.
“This scandalous action must be a line in the sand. If P&O Ferries can get away with this, it will give the green light to other exploitative employers.
“It is the consequence of the Tory assault on workers’ rights.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Ministers and officials have expressed their outrage and frustration at P&O Ferries on their decision and handling of their announcement, and are closely considering the department’s relationship with the company.
Government review
“The transport secretary has instructed a total examination of any contract in place with P&O Ferries and DP World across government, and the department is working closely with unions, the department for work and pensions and industry bodies to ensure that workers are supported and signposted to the most relevant support.
“We have serious concerns that their handling may not have followed the correct and legal processes, and strongly urge P&O Ferries to pause the changes announced, and speak with workers to repair the damage caused.”
Union representatives are also set to brief a Stormont committee on its plans to launch a legal challenge against ferry giant P&O after the sacking of the 800 workers.
The ferry operator, bought by Dubai-based logistics giant DP World in 2019, has insisted the decision to cut jobs was “very difficult but necessary” as it was “not a viable business” in its current state. The move has been met with concern in Northern Ireland and across the UK.
P&O Ferries, which transports passengers and freight, operates four routes: Dover to Calais; Hull to Rotterdam; Liverpool to Dublin; and Cairnryan to Larne. It has 2,200 employees remaining in the UK and began operating ferries in the 1960s. – PA
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