RMT Criticizes P&O Ferries’ New Route and Government Response

The Seafarer Union RMT responded to P&O Ferries CEO Peter Hebblethwaite’s announcement of a new freight route between the Thames Freeport and Europoort in Rotterdam. The General Secretary of RMT, Mick Lynch, criticized the government’s weak response to P&O Ferries slashing 786 seafarer jobs in March 2022, stating that the Dutch flagged ferry on the new route will not recover jobs for their members or tackle local economic deprivation. Lynch also highlighted P&O’s denial of pension liabilities to UK seafarers and their attack on dockers’ jobs in Rotterdam, indicating that the proposal is expected to be controversial.

Moreover, Lynch criticized the government’s Seafarers Wages Act and voluntary Seafarers Charter, which had no effect on P&O’s policy of exploiting workers for private profit. He also emphasized the need for a New Deal for workers to break the business model of rogue operators like P&O, extending mandatory rights to fair pay agreements, safe working patterns, and secure pension rights on short sea shipping routes. The Dutch flagged Norbay vessel will be used on the new route, having been transferred from the Liverpool-Dublin route that P&O Ferries scrapped last December. The Thames Freeport, where the new route is located, is owned by Forth Ports and contains child poverty rates of 56.4%.

In summary, the Seafarer Union RMT criticized P&O Ferries’ new freight route and the government’s response to the company’s actions. They highlighted P&O’s exploitation of workers and the need for a New Deal for workers to break the business model of rogue operators. The Dutch flagged Norbay vessel will be used on the new route, and the Thames Freeport, where the route is located, contains high child poverty rates.

Source .