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Union calls for tougher laws to protect ferry workers

[ March 16, 2026   //   ]

Maritime union RMT says more must be done to protect seafarers and prevent another corporate scandal, four years after P&O Ferries’s sacking of 800 workers and their replacement by agency labour on the Dover/Calais route.

The union says that while the Labour government has taken positive to improve pay protections for ferry crews, major loopholes remain and stronger legal and enforcement powers are needed to stop rogue operators exploiting workers.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “Seafarers deserve the same employment protections as workers on land. The Employment Rights Bill should apply to seafarers in full and the threshold for UK port calls should be lowered so more crews are covered by fair pay and decent conditions including safe roster patterns.”

RMT says the threshold of 120 UK port calls per year under the Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023 should be lowered so more vessels operating from UK ports are covered by pay protection.

It adds that four years after the sackings the Insolvency Service has still not published its report into whether P&O Ferries committed a civil offence, several times longer than the typical timeframe, raising serious questions about the delay.

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