The UK government has introduced new legislation to make sure seafarers get paid at least equivalent to the UK National Minimum Wage of £9.50 per hour, the government said in a statement.
“Vessels and services that call on UK ports at least every 72 hours on average, or more than 120 times a year, will fall under these new pay requirements and the ports, Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Department for Transport will all have a role in ensuring compliance,” the government said.
It is interesting to note that the legislation applies to all vessels that fall under the criteria, irrespective what flag they fly. In practice, it will affect mostly passenger and freight ferries. Reference to "vessels and services" implies that a company that serves the UK at a high frequency cannot avoid paying the UK minimum wage by e.g. by rotating ships on services to various countries.
Vessels that break law can be denied access to port
The government said The Seafarers’ Wages Bill that was introduced in the House of Lords on 6 July enables port authorities to deny access to services calling regularly at UK ports who do not pay their workers equivalent rate to the UK National Minimum Wage (NMWe) for time spent in UK waters.
The topic become of urgency in the spring, when DP World owned ferry company P&O Ferries dismissed 800 seafarers and replaced them by cheaper crews. Maritime Minister Robert Courts said: “Britain’s rich maritime history and exciting future is thanks to the extraordinary men and women who work at sea.Fair pay for seafarers is a must and the new laws we’ve introduced in Parliament today send a clear signal to operators that the UK will not let seafarers be priced out of their jobs by rogue bosses."
"Following P&O Ferries’ shameful conduct, the government launched the consultation on the Seafarers’ Wages Bill in May 2022. The response, published alongside the introduction of the bill today, shows that the overwhelming majority of respondents agreed that pay protection must remain at the forefront of the sector’s objectives,” he said
