Stena Line suspend company sick pay amid Covid-19 crisis
STENA Line workers operating out of Rosslare Europort have expressed major concerns about the company’s decision to suspend company sick pay with immediate effect until further notice. The move comes as concerns grow in relation to the containment of coronavirus and workers in Rosslare, along with Dublin and Belfast, coming in regular contact with people travelling across the continent in a bid to keep the supply chain moving.
In a letter issued by The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), General Secretary Mick Cash branded the decision as ‘outrageous’, while Stena Line say it was a necessary measure to protect the jobs of those currently employed by the company.
‘Stena Line have advised their employees that they are suspending company sick pay with immediate effect and until further notice,’ Mr Cash said. ‘With no attempt to discuss this with the RMT, Stena Line has launched an outrageous attack on seafarers’ right to a decent sick pay scheme.’
While employees based in the UK will be entitled to the statutory minimum £94.25 per week, Irish crew are concerned that they will not qualify for anything should they be diagnosed with the coronavirus and be forced to take time off work. The company says that this is not the case and as the Stena Europe in Rosslare is a UK registered vessel, they are entitled to the statutory UK sick benefit.
Previously workers would have been entitled to sick leave of six months at full pay and six months at half pay.
‘It’s a really draconian decision,’ a union spokesperson said. ‘Stena Line has a lot of fingers in a lot of pies and should be able to weather this storm, but they don’t want to.’
As well as running passenger ferries, Stena
Line also has interests in offshore drilling and other areas. While these interests are said to be performing well, the company has let 950 workers go in Sweden and other European countries. Workers in Wexford feel that it’s only a matter of time before they’re facing into a similar situation themselves.
‘There’s been no lay-offs in Rosslare yet,’ a union spokesman said. ‘But it’s coming. We’re only a couple of weeks behind.’
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash criticised Stena Line’s approach to both staffing and sick pay.
‘It is our opinion that Stena Line should be taking this opportunity to train up their existing and future crews and honour the terms of the CBA (labour agreement) for any seafarers who are required to self-isolate. This union is seeking an urgent meeting with Stena to discuss the implications of this decision.’
Responding to the criticism, Stena Line say that, while it was a difficult decision to suspend company sick pay, it was one that had to be taken to protect jobs going forward.
‘We’re trying to survive here,’ a spokesman for the company said. ‘Company sick pay has only been lifted temporarily as we’re trying to keep these people in jobs. In the past, we had offered quite a generous employee sick pay scheme, but obviously with travel being decimated at the moment and a crisis upon us, its these kind of things that are the first hit. It’s a sad situation and not a decision we wanted to take. It’s one that affects everyone from senior management down, but it’s to keep our jobs.’
When asked if there were concerns of crew members turning up for work while displaying symptoms of covid-19, as a result of the changes to sick pay, he said that this was a matter for human resources and that the company is doing everything in its power to play its part in flattening the curve of the spread of the virus.