Following the disgraceful sacking of 800 P&O workers last week, we will publish frequent press releases from the RMT and other unions. Although we may not agree with every part of a trade union’s tactics, it is important to relay their views to the labour movement because they go largely ignored by the mainstream media. The following is an amalgam of several press releases from the RMT on March 21 and 22:
P&O ferry crews at Dover have been replaced by Indian seafarers being paid 2.38 dollars an hour.
Commenting on the revelation RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said, “The news that the seafarers now on ships in British ports are to be paid $2.38 an hour is a shocking exploitation of those seafarers and another gut-wrenching betrayal of those who have been sacked.
“The rule of law and acceptable norms of decent employment and behaviour have completely broken down beneath the white cliffs of Dover and in other ports yet five days into this national crisis the government has done nothing to stop it.
“These ships of shame must not be allowed to sail. The government has to step in now and take control before it’s too late.”
P&O demonstrations taking place across British ports this week.
RMT is organising mass demonstrations at ports up and down the country, to show DP World and the government that public anger is growing over the sacking of 800 P&O staff.
Protests will take place in Liverpool, Hull, Larne in Northern Ireland Cairnryan in Scotland and Dover.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “The government and the Sultan of Dubai who owns P&O ferries, believe they can bunker down and ignore us.
“The British public is outraged by this injustice and understand that if these workers are not fully reinstated, the same thing could happen to them in their workplaces.
“Boris Johnson must act in the national interest, introduce emergency legislation to take over the running of P&O, reinstate our people and send a message to other gangster capitalists you are not welcome in this country.”
RMT exposes the bullying truth behind P&O “staff package“.
RMT slammed what it described as a “disgusting statement” from P&O Ferries, trying to justify one of the most shameful acts by any employer in recent history.
Sacked seafarers have been basically told that if they don’t sign up to be gagged by a non-disclosure agreements you not only lose your job you lose money as well. This is from an organisation which has received millions from the taxpayer to support furlough payments and whose parent company DP world paid out vast sums in dividends last year.
“These are the actions of a bully…”
General Secretary Mick Lynch said, “These are the actions of a bully trying to maximise profits by sacking workers and replacing them with agency staff below the minimum wage.The detail of what the company are imposing is not new. The 2.5 weeks is what we have negotiated in the past with P&O.
“The pay in lieu of notice is not compensation, it is just a payment staff are contractually entitled to as there was no notice given. The way that the package has been structured is pure blackmail and threats– that if staff do not sign up and give away their jobs and their legal right to take the company to an employment tribunal, they will receive a fraction of the amount put to them.
“The actions of P&O demonstrate the weakness of employment law and protections in the UK. P&O have flagrantly breached the law and abandoned any standards of workplace decency. They have ripped away the jobs, careers and pensions of our members and thrown the on the dole with the threat that if they do not sign up and give away their rights they will lose many thousands of pounds in payments.
“This is totally unacceptable and RMT will continue to campaign for our members to be reinstated at P&O and for better employment laws to protect all British workers.”
RMT members will be joined by other activists this week in Liverpool for two demonstrations to protest against the sacking by P&O. The protests will be taking place on Weds 23rd March 0700 and Saturday 26th March 0700 at the Port of Liverpool L21 LA
The demonstrations will demand the reinstatement of the P&O workers and call on government to take action against P&O and their parent company DP World to ensure that happens.
Mick Lynch said, “The two protests in Liverpool on Wednesday and Saturday will be sending a clear message to P&O and DP World that this shameful act of industrial vandalism must be overturned.
The weakness of UK employment law
“It will also be a message for government that the weakness in UK employment law has not only allowed the mass dismissing of UK seafarers but has also incentivised this barbaric behaviour because employers know there may be no effective sanction to stop them doing so and on top of that they can get away with paying below the minimum wage.
“Anyone travelling the Liverpool-Dublin route on P&O will be paying into the pockets of a company that uses handcuffs to enforce video sackings and pays staff below the minimum wage and atrocious employment conditions. That’s why we are saying Don’t go with P&O and are calling for a boycott of these services.”
RMT has called for Boris Johnson to meet a delegation of sacked P&O workers as it emerged the government have delayed for over two years from taking action on legislation that would have protected workers.
RMT has called on Boris Johnson to meet a delegation of sacked P&O workers as it emerged the government have delayed taking action on legislation that would have protected workers for over two years.
Need to introduce legislation
The Union has pointed to commitments made in 2020 in a parliamentary debate by the Minister Viscount Younger of Leckie on the need to introduce legislation to stop shipping companies paying below the minimum wage. P&O are using the fact that they can pay below the Minimum wage to sack British seafarers and bring in cheaper Labour.
The Minister said, “Maritime is the only sector in the UK that continues to permit this [nationality-based pay discrimination]. The industry will still state that differential pay is the necessary requirement and that seafarers are paid a competitive rate when considered against the average salaries they could receive in their own countries. I acknowledge that this remains a difficult argument to accept when it would not be accepted in any other sector. The Government will consider whether further changes are required when the Equality Act regulations are reviewed towards the end of this year.”
Mick Lynch responded, “It is scandalous that over two years ago the government knew there was a problem with the legislation but failed to act. Their failure has now led to today’s crisis.
“We are calling for the Prime Minister to meet with sacked workers. We don’t want a photo opportunity, we want him to sit down and say what emergency action he is going to take to reverse the dismissals.”
Our editorial on the P&O sackings is here. All above pictures from RMT website
