ONE-PORT SECTOR WORK PERMITS

RMTnews :: october 2007 :: www.rmt.org.uk 14 T he government plans to implement a work permit regime for the one-port sector of the UK shipping industry which services the offshore industry. This follows numerous representations from RMT regarding the need to restrict the number of low-paid foreign national seafarers being engaged to work on ships trading from UK ports. The scheme originally applied to domestic passenger services and in 2000 the Government extended this to domestic freight voyages. It only applies to vessels trading between two UK ports. The work permit regime requires that shipping companies who run services trading between two UK ports must engage seafarers from the European Union or EEA. If they wish to employ seafarers from outside these areas they must apply for work permits which will only be issued by the Home Office if it can be demonstrated that EU seafarers are not available to undertake this work. The implementation of this measure will affect vessels engaged in operations in the offshore sector which use a UK port as a basis for their operations. The proposals are being introduced in accordance with the new tier two of the revised points based system of the Home Office and are to be introduced as from April 2009. RMT has made representations to the new Shipping Minister for an earlier implementation date, and DoT officials have been asked to follow this up through contact with Home Office representatives. This measure is, of course, limited in so far as Eastern European nationals can still be employed on exploitative rates of pay and it only applies to UK services. However, it is still welcome given that shipowners have made representations against the extension of the scheme. ONE-PORT SECTOR WORK PERMITS