RMT turns up pressure over pay exploitation on UK ferry services

MARITIME UNION RMT today turned up the heat on the government over a loophole that allows ferry operators between UK ports to ignore minimum wage legislation and pay non-UK seafarers as little as £2 an hour.

With the Equality Bill reaching its final report stage this Tuesday (1st December), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has deliberately blocked an amendment which would have closed the loophole using spurious legal arguments that have already been demolished by specialist maritime legal opinion.

An Early Day Motion has been tabled by Labour MP Gwyn Prosser today backing the RMT campaign and RMT officials and members of the RMT parliamentary group will be meeting ministers on Tuesday to press the case for allowing amendments that bring seafarers into line with the UK National Minimum Wage, and the full repeal of the discriminatory provisions against seafarers in the 1976 Race Relations Act.

Bob Crow, RMT General Secretary said:

"David Miliband and the Labour Government are presiding over a policy that openly allows the exploitation of seafarers on British ships. Their obstruction to the National Minimum Wage amendment to the Equality Bill that would help close this shameful loophole is a disgrace. RMT will be stepping up our campaign this week to mobilise support for an end to pay exploitation on UK ferry services."

ENDS

EARLY DAY MOTION – GWYN PROSSER MP (tabled Monday 30th November)

SEAFARERS' POVERTY PAY AND THE FOREIGN OFFICE
That this House notes that for a number of years discussions have been taking place in both Houses with government and with the TUC to seek to resolve the horrendous situation whereby ferry company owners and others, whose vessels regularly trade on fixed routes between UK ports are allowed to pay poverty wages substantially below the minimum wage to non-UK seafarers including rates as little as £2.00 per hour; welcomes the fact that a number of members have supported amendments to the Equality Bill which would close this loophole; is therefore dismayed that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is blocking these amendments by claiming that applying the minimum wage on ferries that trade solely between UK ports could mean the UK is in breach of United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea; further notes the FCO have adopted this position despite independent legal advice to the contrary provided to the RMT union and also the advice of the International Transport Workers Federation; is appalled that in the 21st Century the Foreign Office is effectively allowing the continuation of poverty wages to continue in UK waters; and calls on the Foreign Secretary to immediately publish the legal advice on which their blocking action is based and allow the advice to be subject to urgent independent scrutiny.