P&O to pay workers French minimum wage

Seafarers at P&O Ferries will benefit from new French legislation that will almost double pay for some workers, according to an investigation by the Guardian and ITV News.

Last month the French government introduced a new law requiring cross-Channel ferry operators to pay their workers a minimum wage of £9.96 per hour. The new legislation also requires minimum rest periods ashore of 14 days and a maximum embarkation time (on board ship) of the same.

The “Against Social-Dumping on the English Channel” law refers to the practice of replacing existing staff with overseas agency workers for worse pay and conditions.

The Guardian and ITV said that they have seen a letter sent to workers employed by P&O’s Maltese employment agency Philcrew Management, explaining the French legislation and how it will impact them.

The company has apparently changed its rosters to comply with the new rules, which were enacted in France last month.

P&O and other operators have come under scrutiny in the past two years for using legal loopholes in the maritime sector to pay workers on foreign-registered ships less than the minimum wage. Previous reports have suggested that some workers were being paid as little as £4.75 an hour.

P&O crew members were also reported to be working 12-hour shifts, seven days a week, for up to 17 weeks at a time.

In March 2022, the company sacked 800 workers and replaced them with agency staff, with the lack of consultation around the redundancies raising questions about its legal practices.

In the UK, the Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023 is expected to come into force in June 2024, having gained Royal Assent last year.

This legislation, which is still being finalised before it can be enacted, sets out how maritime employers should comply with UK minimum wage rules, the penalties for not doing so, and how this will be enforced.

Louise Haigh, the shadow transport secretary, told ITV and the Guardian: “P&O Ferries has refused to do the right thing from the beginning of this scandal, and they’ve only been dragged under the threat of criminal sanctions and hefty fines by the French government.

“They will never do the right thing until legislation is in place to protect seafarers’ rights, and that’s why it’s so important that the UK government put in place a binding seafarers charter. Otherwise, businesses that can profit from this business model will continue to undercut workers’ rights and legislation.”

P&O Ferries has declined to comment or answer questions about the changes it has planned. The company has stated previously that it always complies with national and international laws and that its crews are well-rested.

Chief executive Peter Hebblethwaite will face further questions from the business and trade committee on May 7. He was previously grilled by MPs in the Commons a week after the redundancies in 2022.

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