P&O and Irish ferries in trouble

[John Arton]

https://www.itv.com/news/2024-03-18/...d-minimum-wage
P&O and Irish ferries are in trouble after it was discovered that they are paying their agency staff less than the u.k minimum wage, £4.87 per hour in some cases. Also there contracts last for ithink, for 6 months with no time off with an 18 hours working day for some.
Now french maritime law has recently been put into place that any companies vessels that regularly visit french ports must comply with their maritime regulations regarding wages etc. minimum wages must be the E.U minimum (11euro p/H) and also 19 days on before time off..
Methinks that both outfits are going to have to change their employment conditions tout suite or face heavy fans and/ or bans from from french ports.
Rgds
J.A
https://www.itv.com/news/2024-03-18/...d-minimum-wage

[Tony Taylor]

https://www.itv.com/news/2024-03-18/...d-minimum-wage
P&O and Irish ferries are in trouble after it was discovered that they are paying their agency staff less than the u.k minimum wage, £4.87 per hour in some cases. Also there contracts last for ithink, for 6 months with no time off with an 18 hours working day for some.
Now french maritime law has recently been put into place that any companies vessels that regularly visit french ports must comply with their maritime regulations regarding wages etc. minimum wages must be the E.U minimum (11euro p/H) and also 19 days on before time off..
Methinks that both outfits are going to have to change their employment conditions tout suite or face heavy fans and/ or bans from from french ports.
Rgds
J.A
https://www.itv.com/news/2024-03-18/...d-minimum-wage

DFDS apparently comply with UK requirements. I have spoken a couple of years back, with Filipino staff on the Newcastle / Ijmuiden run and they seemed to be satisfied with their conditions.

[Johnny Kieran]

Why should they get UK or EU minimum wages? after all, they pay their bills in their own countries, It's not like the seamen that they replaced who did have UK cost of living.
Poor P&O Ferries, I bet they charge European rates for passengers.

[John Cassels]

DFDS apparently comply with UK requirements. I have spoken a couple of years back, with Filipino staff on the Newcastle / Ijmuiden run and they seemed to be satisfied with their conditions.

Yes , you can see that in their prices. We used to use the Ijmuiden - Newcastle route all the time but the prices have become horrendous.

[Mo Docherty]

Did work for stena and p@o ferries working 12-14 hour shifts fellas

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Johnny #
Notwithstanding that these seamen come from poorer countries:it is precisely for that reason wages are so poor now, if you don't take it tough we will get them cheaper from overseas, like them or not; no longer any unions to prevent it happening. in my time back in the 50s I don't think that the Indian Firemen got less of a wage that a white man.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

Very true Des, it happens here in Oz.
Some rotten companies use labor of overseas migrants and attempt to pay them less than the minimum wage.
Basic wage here in Oz is about $22 an hour about 11GBP.
S ick pay and hol pay must be included and super payments by employer of 12% of wage.

- - - Updated - - -

[Tony Taylor]

Yes , you can see that in their prices. We used to use the Ijmuiden - Newcastle route all the time but the prices have become horrendous.

I agree with that, I started using it in 2008 and it was expensive then, after that we used to take our own food and drink for the departing trip out of Tyne but would book breakfast before arrival in Ijmuiden as we had a 5 hour drive after disembarking.

[John Arton]

https://www.itv.com/news/2024-03-20/...emed-not-moral
This is the new french law regarding crew employment on ferries.
Rgds
J.A

[John Cassels]

I agree with that, I started using it in 2008 and it was expensive then, after that we used to take our own food and drink for the departing trip out of Tyne but would book breakfast before arrival in Ijmuiden as we had a 5 hour drive after disembarking.

Best of the lot was Blue Seas fast ferry Zeebrugge to Rosyth as Zeebrugge is only 40 minutes from us, but they didn't last long . Next best was DFDS but as you say very expensive. Planning a trip back " home " in
October so will book with P & O ( if they are still on the go ) , otherwise it will be Stena Hook v Holland to Harwich