P&O accused of exploiting ferry staff on tours ‘lasting six months’

FERRY OPERATOR P&O is facing renewed accusations of exploiting staff working on vessels sailing between Hull and Europe.

The RMT union has called for a meeting with the Government after it emerged P&O is replacing Portuguese ratings on the Pride of York and Pride of Hull with Filipino crew, working on tours lasting up to six months. Last year Hull MP Karl Turner raised concerns in the House of Commons over “slave labour” rates as low as £1.83 an hour being paid to crews working for P&O Ferries, which has routes from the port to Zeebrugge and Rotterdam, among others.

At the time Small Business

Minister Kelly Tolhurst said it was unacceptable and said she would be prepared to meet the MP. A meeting has not yet taken place with either Mr Turner or the RMT, according to the union.

The RMT said crews working as “OBS” ratings, whose roles include waiter, chef and steward, were paid below the national minimum wage to work twomonth tours of duty, with no pension provision.

The new Filipino seafarers would be on the same conditions but contractually obliged to work for tours lasting up to six months, which the RMT claims raises safety as well as employment concerns.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said yesterday: “It is frankly appalling that just over a month since the Tories won the General Election promising to help Northern cities like Hull that they are sitting on their hands while a major local employer smashes apart working conditions and denies local people the opportunity to take up decent jobs in the shipping sector.”

However, P&O said the RMT was “being dishonest and trying to politicise a simple crewing change that is not affecting terms and conditions”.

The company said most of their foreign workforce lived on board and the rates paid were

“fair” compared to their home countries with rates of pay negotiated through the International Transport Federation.

A Government spokesperson said: “We want all seafarers to receive a fair wage when in UK waters and we are going to amend legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.”