Chamber response to media reports into seafarer pay rates
UK Chamber of Shipping focus on sustainable employment Recent media reports indicating that seafarers were working on P&O cruise ships for 75p per hour paint a very dark picture of the UK shipping industry, with accusations of poverty pay and slave conditions following closely behind.However, the headline figure of 75p per hour is wholly misleading. By combining a guaranteed earnings level with the opportunity to earn more money from tips, it is usual for ships' crew members providing services to passengers to take home upwards of $1,000 per month and, frequently, even larger sums. The tipping system is potentially open to criticism because it does not provide guarantees of earnings. However, experience shows that it works extremely well; by encouraging waiters on board to provide the best possible service, thereby increasing customer satisfaction and the likelihood they will attract repeat bookings, the crew members themselves are able to maximise their income from each voyage.When one adds the fact that these crew members are flown from their homes to the place where they join the ship and back home afterwards at the expense of the company - and are provided free accommodation and food whilst on board - the basic wage ...
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