The 17th September marked six months from the decision by P&O Ferries to unlawfully dismiss 786 British seafarers without notice or consultation.
Last week, Nautilus International joined the UK’s Trades Union Congress in calling on the UK Government, led by new Prime Minister Liz Truss, to hold P&O Ferries accountable for their unlawful actions.
Nautilus also highlighted that the recent decision by the Insolvency Service not to pursue a criminal prosecution of the company reveals frailties in UK employment and corporate law, which must also be addressed.
Actions like those of P&O Ferries must never be allowed to happen again, the union said.
The union called for the UK government and the newly appointed Secretary of State for Transport, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, to speed up delivery of the nine-point plan, which seeks to extend the scope of the UK minimum wage and support the creation of minimum wage corridors between the UK and its neighbouring countries.
Nautilus also called on the Government to enact its ‘Fair Ferries Strategy’ to promote higher standards in employment and working conditions for seafarers reflective of local conditions, not international minimum standards.
Nautilus International General Secretary, Mark Dickinson, (pictured) said: “Six months on from the scandalous sacking of 786 seafarers by P&O Ferries, we repeat our calls for P&O Ferries to be held accountable and for action by government to ensure this can never happen again.
“We have a concrete proposal in our ‘Fair Ferries Strategy’ to maintain and expand quality local employment in the UK ferry sector and bring an end the race to the bottom that P&O Ferries has turbo-charged. We need to create a genuine level playing field across the ferry sector here and with the help of our neighbours,” he said.
