The Secretary of Transport is expected to present a package of legislation on Wednesday to close the gaps and ensure that ferry companies operating regular services to and from the British Isles pay their crew the minimum wage in the UK. Government officials reportedly met with rival companies Stena Line and DFDS on Monday to discuss legislation, along with measures to tackle the potential Easter travel mess if services remain disrupted. New anti-layoffs are planned for this week, with the RMT union turning its attention to P&O Ferries’ supply chain, including hiring shipping agencies. The union said it would hold a protest outside the Glasgow offices of Clyde Marine Recruitment, which claims to be Europe’s largest supplier of naval personnel, on Monday morning. Demonstrations took place in Liverpool, Dover and Hull on Saturday, as outcry continued over P&O Ferries’ decision to lay off its crews and replace them with cheaper foreign workers. The company’s chief executive, Peter Hebblethwaite, admitted last week that he had broken the law by firing workers without consultation. He told a hearing in the Commons on Thursday: “There is absolutely no doubt that we should consult with the unions. We chose not to do it. “ Understandably, Shapps will write to Hebblethwaite to say that there is still time for the company to reconsider its strategy and may also act because otherwise the government will force its hand. Following calls from MPs and others for emergency measures, the minister pledged to introduce new legislation to ensure that ships using UK ports meet the national minimum wage, which is currently 91 8.91 an hour, increasing at 9.50 £ on the 1st of April. Meanwhile, a P&O Ferries source told the PA news agency that it conducted an’s study last year, which estimated it would cost 30 309 million to keep the company afloat for at least three months, a cost that would undermine seriously business and possibly deal a fatal blow. RMT Secretary-General Mick Lynch has already asked the government to seize the P&O fleet and crew fired without consulting them or giving any notice of restoration. Leeds said Sunday: “There will be more protests, more campaigns and more political pressure this week as we step up the fight and harness public anger to cut jobs on our ships.” He argued that there would be “no place to run and no place to hide” for those involved. On Sunday, P&O Ferries stated that “it will not be able to perform some of our services in the coming days.” From Sunday afternoon, services from Dover to Calais were canceled until Thursday 31 March and services between Larne and Cairnryan in Scotland remained suspended. Monday’s route between Rotterdam and Hull was canceled. The government inspects all P&O ships before allowing them to be put back into operation. A ship, the European Causeway, was seized in Northern Ireland on Friday by the Shipping and Coast Guard after it was deemed “unfit to sail” following an inspection that found “crew familiarization, documentation and crew failure”. For now, passengers traveling on certain routes, such as Dover to Calais, are usually informed by P&O Ferries that “we will take you away with an alternative carrier”, such as DFDS, although it is not clear what will happen. if competitors are fully booked, as can be the case at Easter.
