The UK government’s National Minimum Wage and seafarers will not tackle chronic low pay to foreign seafarers, which is driving the decline of UK seafarer numbers and the national maritime skills base, including on routes between UK ports and to the offshore oil and gas sector, according to Seafarer Ratings union RMT.
The new guidance by the government came after concerns about unfair competition, following reports that some ships registered abroad were underpaying their workers in UK waters, undercutting UK crews.
“The issues of National Minimum Wage and the Equality Act protections for seafarers are about where vessels start and end their journey. This new guidance does little to end problems around applying and enforcing NMW rates of pay for seafarers and preventing nationality based pay discrimination in the UK shipping industry, which sees UK seafarers undercut by migrant workers and is driving the long term decline in UK Ratings and our maritime skills base,” explained Steve Todd, RMT National Secretary.
Mr. Todd added that changes to the machinery of Government have resulted in an attack on UK seafarers and the continuation of the exploitation of foreign seafarers working from and between UK ports. As agreed in November, NMW pay rates should be applied and enforced for all seafarers working on vessels between UK ports and to the offshore oil and gas industry on the UK continental shelf, he further suggested.
“This will not help UK seafarers compete for jobs on vessels working between UK ports and from UK ports to offshore energy installations where seafarers from other EU countries can be paid as low as £3.78 per hour and non-EU seafarers even lower, at £2.41 per hour on UK flagged ships,” explained also RMT General Secretary Mick Cash.
The union said it will be seeking an immediate response from the Government on this issue.
