ABUSES OF MARITIME CONVENTION IN UK WATERS

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: july/august 2017 :: RMTnews 7 RMT has launched complaints to UK government regulators to take action against UK-Flagged offshore supply vessels owned by Gulfmark where UK ratings have been replaced by non-EEA seafarers on basic rates of pay as low as $3.41 per hour, in contravention of the Maritime Labour Convention. The complaint comes following the scandal of the North Promise a UK flagged offshore supply vessel operating between Aberdeen and oil and gas installations in the UK sector of the North Sea. Crews on this and other supply vessels have had their pay and conditions undermined and undercut in contravention of union agreements. It is just the latest in a series of seafarer pay scandals in UK waters. RMT general secretary Mick Cash stated: “We can no longer tolerate the Red Ensign being used as a cloak of respectability for social dumping or the systematic replacement of UK Ratings with seafarers from thousands of miles away who are recruited to work for poverty wages on vessels from UK ports. “The crew on the North Promise are not being employed or paid in line with the collective bargaining agreement covering that vessel, which was signed by UK maritime unions, including RMT. Action must be taken to stop this race to the lowest levels of pay and conditions and to fully enforce the MLC. “The government has rightly acknowledged the problem of NMW application and enforcement for seafarers but we need action now to tackle the entrenched issue of seafarer pay inequality on vessels like this, otherwise the UK’s economically vital maritime skills base will be lost,” he said. RMT national secretary Steve Todd said the problem with this Gulfmark vessel shone a light on an industry-wide practice that should no longer be tolerated by the government or the reformed UK Register. “Government agencies, specifically the Maritime Coastguard Agency and HMRC need to respond to the case of the North Promise, and quickly. "Migrant seafarers on this vessel and across the international shipping industry are treated almost as if they are lucky to receive a wage at all and ultimately that exploitation is getting worse and we are encountering it more and more on vessels, including those flying the Red Ensign in the North Sea oil and gas industry. "The MLC is being undermined, wages are appallingly low and employment, equality and immigration laws are flouted by crewing agents to provide the cheapest seafarer Ratings possible. This is more like modern slavery than a modern shipping industry,” he said. G uards on Arriva Rail North took a further three days of strike action in July as the company continued to resist all efforts to make progress in the long-running dispute over rail safety and the head-long dash towards Driver-Only Operation. The company has set impossible pre-conditions on future talks and rejected point blank every attempt to try and broker a safe and sustainable settlement to the dispute. As well as refusing to guarantee of a second safety critical member of staff on trains the company continues to plough on with plans to introduce a minimum of 50 per cent driver controlled operation across the franchise without agreement and in the teeth of opposition from the public, politicians and their own staff. Political support continues to grow for RMT’s campaign against the dangerous, cash-led DOO proposals and it was a significant issue throughout the general election campaign. RMT’s executive committee is continuing to review tactics in this important dispute in consultation with the members at Northern. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that the sheer intransigence of Arriva Rail North meant that the union had no option but to confirm a further round of strike action. “We are angry and frustrated that Arriva continue to face up to the facts and also continue to ignore a perfectly reasonable union proposal to invite the DfT to join us in three way talks aimed at finding a solution. “The public, who support RMT’s campaign for a guarantee of a guard on their trains, will be appalled that Arriva Rail North has failed yet again to offer any kind of progress whatsoever in the talks and have instead opted to try and bulldoze through their plans regardless. “RMT commends our Arriva Rail North Members on their rock solid display of strength, resolve and unity during the action so far in opposition to the introduction of driver controlled operation and defence of the guards to guarantee a safer, securer and more accessible railway for all,” he said. NORTHERN GUARDS TAKE ACTION ABUSES OF MARITIME CONVENTION IN UK WATERS RMT launches formal Gulfmark complaints to regulator over social dumping by paying rock bottom wages