Seafarer Union RMT today responded to disgraced P&O Ferries CEO Peter Hebblethwaite’s announcement of a new freight route between the Thames Freeport and Europoort in Rotterdam.
Mick Lynch, RMT General Secretary said: “The Government’s weak response to P&O Ferries slashing 786 seafarer jobs in March 2022 means that the Dutch flagged ferry on this new route will not recover jobs for our members or tackle local economic deprivation.
“P&O continues to deny their pension liabilities to UK seafarers and have even attacked dockers’ jobs in Rotterdam, where we expect this proposal to be equally controversial.
“Clearly, the Government’s Seafarers Wages Act and its voluntary Seafarers Charter have had no effect on P&O’s policy of exploting workers for private profit in Dubai and the fact that this route is in the Thames Freeport in which DP World has a significant stake, tell us the Government prioritises big business over the needs of working people.
“The Government must demand a review of the employment conditions on this new route but to break the business model of rogue operators like P&O, we need a New Deal for workers that extends mandatory rights to fair pay agreements, safe working patterns and secure pension rights on short sea shipping routes.”
