LONDON (Reuters) – The United Kingdom said on Tuesday it would pass legislation giving its ports the power to refuse access to ferry services that do not pay the national minimum wage, as part of measures to prevent a repeat of controversial job cuts at shipping company P&O Ferries.
P&O Ferries, which provides a link between France and the United Kingdom, among other things, dismissed almost 800 employees without notice last March to replace them with less expensive labour, a decision which has since given rise to a investigation.
The bill, announced as part of the UK government’s program for the 2022-2023 legislature, would allow ports to impose a surcharge on ship operators who fail to pay workers the equivalent of the minimum wage and block their access to the port.
The UK minimum wage is currently £9.50 (€11.10) an hour.
The government said the bill would ensure all ferry crew receive fair pay while in UK waters and deter other groups from repeating P&O redundancies by closing legislative loopholes.
P&O Ferries, a 180-year-old company owned by Emirati Dubai port operator DP World, has a fleet of more than 20 vessels that sail the English Channel, North Sea and Irish Sea.
(Report Muvija M, French version Diana Mandiá, edited by Kate Entringer)
click here for restrictions
©2022 Reuters
