What's happening with P&O ferries

[happy daze john in oz]

John, you are correct and I believe it was because of union action that we have no Australian merchant navy of any sort now.
ANL was the last line I think.

Were they still in big numbers things might be different but the union as such mad to merge with the CFMEU to become part of the CFMMEU, only way to survive.
But as far as I am aware ships needing crew when in an Australian port will not take them as if they do they must pay the Australian rate.

[j.sabourn]

I did a big course in London in the 70s with representation from the BOT, the shipowner and factions from the industry and I was one of the factions and not fractions as some might think. Costing was one of them, and believe me crews wages and conditions on British ships was not the reason of the demise of western shipping. British Shipping was the cheapest to run apart from the Greeks with maybe a pound a day difference. It is a fallacy put about by other parties including government , shipowners and other interested party’s as a sop to those who don’t know better. They know or should that the decline was a well thought out and deployed plan , Which now has landed themselves being caught in the toilet with no paper. Or in better known terms as up the creek without a paddle. Asses and elbows could also be brought into these salubrious descriptions . This was a weeks function in a London Hotel , all paid for including wife , so was a good second honeymoon to pay for the first one. I can’t think of a subject in Shipping that wasn’t brought up, including colour schemes in seamen’s cabins , a good one for sorting the girls from the boys. Even the privatations suffered by seafarers by long periods at sea, you name it ,it was there , never a mention of the high wages paid apart from categorising them from the highest to the lowest just like that tv program Pointless, and which the uk almost won. Think myself the Greeks cheated . Cheers JS

[Julian Norman]

It's reported that new crews are provided by an agency so P&O are not directly employing them. Problem outsourced at a stroke.
Only one employee hasn't accepted terms of redundancy and his case will go through the courts to test the legality of P&O's actions. In the meantime the vessels will eventually satisfy the MCA's safety inspectors and they will sail. Fait accomplit. The court cases will be years down the line.
'

[j.sabourn]

The Agency is supplying them but the shipowner is employing them , so cant see how they can change that responsibility. The owner when approaching the agency has to state the terms of the agreement he is offering to the worker. Which has to be passed on to the same. JS

[happy daze john in oz]

True John, but if it is in some form of an agreement between the two parties and both are happy with it then that will beit.

[Jim R Christie]

ITF have managed to board one of the Dover ships and the crews are a real league of nations.
Their contracted trip lengths are 17 weeks!
In contrast, under the previous contract the Brits were doing 1 week on/off.

[j.sabourn]

#106,,, Thats 4 months. Do you know how much paid leave they get after this period ? Cheers JS

[Jim R Christie]

#106,,, Thats 4 months. Do you know how much paid leave they get after this period ? Cheers JS

None, they're agency staff on a day rate.
The basic monthly wage for the deck crew is $961USD, which works out to £170 per week.
17 weeks onboard with no chance of even nipping ashore as turnaround times in port are 50 minutes.

Following inspection of the Spirit of Britain (Dover-Calais run), the ITF report the nationalities onboard to be as follows:

Officers
British
Polish
Romanian
Croatian
Russian
Latvian
Ukranian

Ratings
Romania
Georgia
Ukranian
Latvia
Indian
Honduran
Germany
Bulgarian
Mauritius

[j.sabourn]

On the old system of a daily rate that would work out at a few cents over $32 US day for I assume a 12 hour day 7 days a week, this unless way out in the rates of exchange would be less than 170 pounds a week.which I assume would be under the minimum dole rate of today. So no surprise that no British seafarers . To me that is a disgusting way to employ seafarers whatever their nationality . P and O should stand for Pizz Off .JS

[Jim R Christie]

P&O Ferries have just given their Dutch crews a 5% payrise.
The Dutch flagged fleet was not affected by the recent redundancies.
Of course our Cloggie friends have a very strong Union setup and the Dutch flag state also places more stringent requirements on their ships and those which trade to their ports than the UK Government does.
A stark difference from one side of the channel to the other and as usual the UK is the poor relation.