A “package of measures” will “block” P&O Ferries’ plan to replace 800 seafarers with agency workers paid below the UK’s minimum wage, according to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
The company caused outrage after sacking its crews with no notice on 17 March.
In a letter to P&O chief executive Peter Hebblethwaite, Shapps wrote: “I will be bringing a comprehensive package of measures to Parliament to ensure that seafarers are protected against these types of actions.
“Through that package, I intend to block the outcome that P&O Ferries has pursued, including paying workers less than the minimum wage.”
The measures could be unveiled on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said it is inspecting P&O Ferries’ ship Pride of Kent at the Port of Dover to ensure it is safe to go to sea with its new crew, even without passengers or cargo.
A full inspection would be required at a later date before it could resume commercial operations.
The MCA said another of the firm’s vessels, European Causeway, remains under detention in Larne, Northern Ireland, after “failures on crew familiarisation, vessel documentation and crew training” were discovered.
The minimum wage in the UK for people aged 23 and above is £8.91 per hour.
Hebblethwaite, whose basic annual salary is £325,000, told MPs on 24 March the average pay of the agency crew is £5.50 per hour.
He said this is “an international seafaring model that is consistent with models throughout the globe and our competitors”.
Irish Ferries began operating on the Dover to Calais route in June 2021 in competition with P&O Ferries.
On 23 March, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Parliament: “We’re going to make sure that everybody working in the UK exclusive economic zone gets paid the living wage and we’ll do it as fast as we possibly can.”
Shapps told Mr Hebblethwaite he has “one further opportunity” to reinstate the sacked workers on their previous wages.
He went on: “Our package of measures will prevent the law being broken, even when knowingly attempted.
“With this point in mind, I would also suggest that the deadline imposed on seafarers to respond to your redundancy offer by 31 March is dropped.
“Given that we intend to ensure such outcomes are prevented by laws, which we will ensure that you cannot simply choose to ignore, I believe you will be left with little choice but to reverse your decision in any case.”
In his evidence to a joint session of the Commons’ transport and business select committees, Hebblethwaite admitted the company broke the law by not consulting with trade unions before sacking workers.
Shapps reiterated his call for him to resign, accusing him of “contempt for workers” and describing his position as “untenable”.
Bosses from ferry firms DFDS and Stena Lines were due to hold talks with Department for Transport officials on Monday amid concerns over chaos at ports during the Easter holidays because P&O’s services are disrupted.
The department confirmed the meeting was taking place, but declined to comment on the topics for discussion.
In October, Mick Lynch, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, issued a statement warning about Irish Ferries’ low-cost labour model.
He claimed the company uses workers from Poland and other European countries paid “well below the national minimum wage”.
The UK Government “refused to make any changes that would require Irish Ferries to employ and train local seafarers,” he added.
Irish Ferries did not immediately respond to a request for a comment on Monday.
Last week, the RMT planned a protest outside a Glasgow recruitment office which was reportedly involved in hiring staff to replace sacked union members on P&O’s ferry routes.
Lynch said the demonstration will take place at the offices of Clyde Marine Recruitment, Govan Road, on Monday.
On Saturday, the union’s Scottish leader Gordon Martin hinted at the protest taking place when he addressed the Alba Party spring conference in Glasgow.
Clyde Marine Recruitment has said it had no prior knowledge about the mass sacking on Thursday last week.
The union is also planning to blockade the Cairnryan port on 8 April.
A number of demonstrations have already taken place at ports around the UK, amid calls for Hebblethwaite to resign over the company’s decision to use agency staff on cheaper salaries, including on the Cairnryan to Larne link.
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