News / Minister: low pay on ferries ‘unacceptable’
TRANSPORT union RMT has warned that it will take further action if the Scottish Government doesn’t deliver on its promise to intervene after it was revealed workers on the publicly-funded Northern Isles freight vessels are being paid as low as £3.66 per hour.
It is claimed around 20 European staff on the Helliar and Hildasay, which are operated by Seatruck on behalf of Serco NorthLink, have been paid below the UK national minimum wage for the last few years.
In response, Morecambe-based Seatruck said workers on the vessels don’t need to be paid the minimum wage as the ships are not UK flagged and the staff in question are not UK residents.
Seatruck added that utilising the UK national minimum wage – which stands at which is £7.20 per hour for over 25s – would place it at a “serious disadvantage in relation to its competitors”.
The Scottish Government, which financially supports the Northern Isles ferry routes, is now asking Seatruck to accept an offer that will see Serco NorthLink contribute its own money to see wage levels rise.
The RMT recently launched an online petition to encourage the Scottish Government to put pressure on Seatruck to pay the living wage, or at least the minimum wage.
Transport Scotland said on Friday (28 October) that the government will continue to press both Serco NorthLink and Seatruck, as well as the UK Government, in an attempt to resolve the situation.
“Scottish ministers are strongly of the view that all workers employed on Scottish Government funded contracts – including through sub contracts – should be paid the national minimal wage, if not the living wage, and deem the current situation with Seatruck unacceptable,” a spokesman said.
“The minister for transport and the islands [Humza Yousaf] will ask Serco NorthLink Ferries to write to Seatruck a further time, repeating the offer to fund the gap to bring the pay of crew members up to the national minimum wage, and he urges the company to accept that offer. The minister will also write to the UK Government to ask them to take action on this.
“Ministers are currently considering all available options to strengthen future ferry contracts to include a formal requirement for the national minimum wage, and preferably the living wage, to be paid to all employees.”
RMT regional Gordon Martin suggested the issue has been ongoing ever since Serco NorthLink won the contract for the North Boats in 2012.
He said the union is “gearing up for a full parliamentary and public campaign” should the problem not be resolved.
“Humza Yousaf said on Thursday that he would sort this out, but unfortunately I’ve heard this all before from the previous two transport ministers,” Martin said.
“Unless Yousaf delivers on his promise, he will feel the full force of an RMT campaign upon him imminently.”
He added that companies like Seatruck “don’t care about the exploitation levels that they’re importing into the shipping industry”.
Seatruck chief executive Alistair Eagles said on Friday that the company had nothing more to say on the matter other than what was included in a prepared statement.
It read: “The freight ferries Helliar and Hildasay have been operating successfully for many years on the lifeline service to the Northern Isles. The Seatruck Ferries vessels are on long term charter to the concession holder Serco/Northlink.
“Under the current legislation the national minimum wage (NMW) is not applicable to the crew of these vessels. The crew are not deemed to be ‘ordinarily working in the UK’ as they are working on a non UK flagged vessel, are not UK residents, do not pay tax or NI in the UK and start and finish their tours of duty in their home countries.
“The vessels comply with all relevant legislation and operate a reliable high quality service. Seatruck Ferries operates worldwide shipping market where NMW application in isolation would place the company at a serious disadvantage in relation to its competitors.”
NorthLink Ferries, meanwhile, declined to comment.
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