The chief of the primary union representing P&O Ferries crew, who have been made redundant final week, has stated the agency is taking “an unacceptable danger” by using cheaper abroad labour.
Mick Lynch, normal secretary of the RMT union, was talking as he led a march of a number of hundred demonstrators via central London to a rally outdoors parliament.
A Commons debate will happen later concerning the motion of P&O Ferries. On Thursday morning it instructed 800 seafarers engaged on its cross-Channel, North Sea and Irish Sea vessels that their employment had ended, and that cheaper company employees would exchange them.
Addressing the union’s security considerations, a spokesperson for the ferry agency stated: “Security is the utmost precedence for P&O Ferries and our crewing administration companions. They’ve recruited high-quality skilled seafarers, who will now familiarise themselves with the ships, going via all necessary coaching necessities set out by our regulators.
“Security is paramount in our new crewing administration mannequin, which is utilized by a lot of our opponents and has been confirmed to be probably the most profitable mannequin on this business and the aggressive baseline.
“We is not going to be decreasing crewing numbers. We don’t have a enterprise if we don’t have a secure enterprise.”
However Mr Lynch stated: “There isn’t a manner that they will obtain a security certificates within the regular style, having recruited individuals from all world wide.
“They’re taking an unacceptable danger with lorry drivers, with passengers.
“The federal government has acquired to cease now, and impound these ships.”
Labour’s shadow transport secretary, Louise Haigh, stated: “If an egregious motion like this may be gotten away with, it is going to give the inexperienced gentle to unhealthy bosses all around the world that they will come to this nation and exploit our workforce.”
The opposition is looking on the federal government to droop each contract with each P&O Ferries and its dad or mum firm, DP World.
Ms Haigh additionally demanded that the enterprise secretary, Kwazi Kwarteng, start felony proceedings “for the illegal sacking of 800 seafarers”.
The union claims that the alternative crew are being paid £1.83 per hour – one-fifth of the UK’s nationwide minimal wage.
The previous Labour communications director, Alastair Campbell, tweeted: “That is what the Brexit catastrophe capitalists needed all alongside.”
The P&O spokesperson stated: “We took this troublesome determination as a final resort and solely after full consideration of all different choices however, in the end, we concluded that the enterprise wouldn’t survive with out basically modified crewing preparations, which in flip would inevitably lead to redundancies.”
P&O Ferries stated it had misplaced £100m in the middle of a 12 months,.
Kaynak: briturkish.com
