Ferry company P&O was forced to reverse an attempt to pay its new, cheaper seafarers less money.
It comes after the RMT Union received reports of agency workers in Dover being asked to sign contracts replacing their old contracts at reduced pay.
The union reported P&O to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, which ensured that the new workers kept their original wages.
The ferry company has been contacted for comment but has not yet responded.
P&O laid off nearly 800 employees last month and hired cheaper contract workers on some of its boats, a move that would secure the company’s future.
However, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) said the company is now trying to “enact an exploitative model, with the lowest possible standards they can get away with”.
RMT said a seaman on the Spirit of Britain ferry at Dover had first contacted the union asking for help in a pay dispute.
In an email accessible to the BBC, the worker wrote: “They don’t care about our rights. They try to give us less money. We are desperate.”
The Spirit of Britain was cleared to resume sailing on Friday following inspections by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. It has been detained in port since April 12 for a series of unspecified “deficiencies,” according to the regulator.
It is P&O’s first Dover-Calais ferry to resume service, although the boat can only carry cargo for now. It’s unclear when commercial operations will resume, but the ferry was tested in the English Channel this weekend and has made at least one trip to Calais, according to shipping websites.
The seafarers who contacted the RMT told the union they would be forced to work without contracts after the old ones expired. The worker claimed documents were also “lost” from P&O.
The worker wrote in his email to the union: “This is my sixth day without a contract, please help us!”
On Friday, the RMT boarded the Spirit of Britain to speak to seafarers after being previously denied access.
National Secretary Darren Proctor, who was visiting, said P&O initially did not want to let them in, instead offering the use of a meeting room in the port. The RMT refused, citing the ISPS Code, which is a comprehensive set of measures to strengthen the security of ships and port facilities.
Once on board, union representatives were escorted to a new lounge on the pet ferry where RMT inspectors could speak directly to newly hired workers.
The RMT said it has spoken to a number of workers from around the world who have joined the ferry’s crew and shared similar grievances.
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Mr Proctor said P&O “brought people in on a month’s contract, some on two-month contracts” and then told them they would have to accept lower pay rates if they wanted to stay.
“Others come with four-month contracts at lower wages. P&O is undermining safety and making ferry standards the lowest possible denominator,” he said.
The union complained to the Marine and Coastguard Authority (MCA), which took action and amended the affected seafarers’ contracts, restoring their original wages.
An MCA spokesman said: “Prior to yesterday’s re-inspection of the Spirit of Britain, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency received a complaint through the RMT Union that a seafarer had been asked to sign a reduced wage contract.
“As part of the re-inspection, the MCA investigated the complaint and as a result the seafarers concerned were issued amended contracts which were reset to their original wages.”
RMT said P&O was “desperate to keep this new crew on board because they have been on board for four weeks now and these crews are becoming familiar with the ships. They need familiarity to get them sailing again.”
It comes after a number of its boats were pinned in ports over concerns about training new seafarers, among other things.
Earlier this month, P&O Ferries boss Peter Hebblethwaite admitted to MPs that the decision last month to lay off 800 workers without notice was against the law.
He said there was “absolutely no doubt” that UK labor law requires the company to consult unions before making any mass cuts.
However, he said no union had accepted the plan and it was easier to compensate workers “in full” instead.
The P&O boss also said he would make the same decision again if he had to.
Since then, the Transport Secretary has said he wants British ports to refuse access to ferry companies “that don’t pay a fair wage”.
Grant Shapps said the government would consult on the changes needed to make this a legal requirement, but has urged ports to take action “as soon as possible”.
However, British ports have called the new tariff plans for the ferry industry “unworkable”.
“The port industry really understands the situation of the seafarers affected, but we would suggest that ports are not the competent authorities to enforce regulations on shipping wages or working conditions,” said Richard Ballantyne of the British Ports Association.
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