UK FALLS
SHORT
ON MINIMUM
WAGE
Guidance on seafarer
pay rates lacks legal teeth,
Nautilus tells government
ministers
FINLANDS SJÖFART J SUOMEN MERENKULKU 47
A
Government moves to extend the National Mini-mum
Wage (NMW) to all seafarers working in UK
waters do not go far enough, Nautilus is warning.
The Department for Business, Energy &
Industrial Strategy has published guidance to the shipping
industry on the application of the NMW and Living Wage in
UK waters, warning employers that failure to comply
could result in fines of up to 200% of the underpayment,
public naming and, for the worst offences, criminal
prosecution.
Ministers said the guidance had been developed in
response to concerns about exploitation of seafarers
around the UK coast. They said UK Border Force officers
will be handing out the material – translated into 50
languages – to seafarers and employers, stressing that the
minimum wage law applies to seafarers when they are
working on: ships within UK waters and ports, regardless
of where the ship is registered or where the worker
ordinarily works or lives; on a foreign ship for work
performed outside the UK if they ordinarily work in the
UK; on UK-registered ships if some of their work is in the
UK and they live in the UK.
Charles Boyle, head of Nautilus legal services, said the
guidance falls short of what is needed and does not reflect
the measures sought by the maritime unions during an
expert working group on the issues. ‘There is no mention
in the guidance of changes to the law, so while this may
put pressure on some owners to comply with the NMW it is
persuasive rather than binding,’ he said.
‘While concentrating on “visiting ships”, the owners are
dodging the issue of non UK-flagged vessels trading
between UK ports and conducting one-port voyages,’ he
added. •
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