Thank you for contacting me regarding the Seafarers Wages Bill. The treatment of the workers at P&O Ferries was a scandal and immoral and therefore it is vital that this Bill does right by them.

I know how hard this has been for seafarers across the country and I want to pay tribute to their huge contribution to our nation’s economy and transport infrastructure.

As Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, I have been leading the response on this issue from the Labour Party. I spoke in Parliament this March to urge the Government to take urgent action, but since then I have witnessed 3 different Secretaries of State for Transport asleep at the wheel on this matter.

The illegal firing of the P&O workers left the lives of seafarers upended and their livelihoods scrapped, with many struggling to put food on the table and pay their bills. Never again should any company think it can treat British workers with such contempt.

Yet despite this, the Government has chosen to delay the seafarers Bill which has not yet been debated in the House of Commons. When it finally gets here, I will lead the response to it for the Labour Party as shadow Shadow Secretary of State for Transport.

We were told that the Bill was meant to be a response to the P&O scandal. However the reality is that the Bill goes nowhere near far enough to address the problems.

This narrow piece of legislation would only deal with wages, leaving out a whole host of commitments from the Government’s “nine-point plan” to improve the working rights and conditions of seafarers. Furthermore, Ministers say the Bill will mean ferry workers have the equivalent of minimum wage for the time they spend in British waters. But given that much of Europe has no minimum wage, I am concerned that this could see workers earnings average out lower.

In my view the Bill should have ensured seafarers are paid at least minimum wage and crucially the Government needs to urgently work with RMT and other unions to amend and improve the legislation.

To make matters worse the Government’s response to P&O has been utterly shameful.

P&O Ferries brazenly admitted they tore up the law to sack loyal British workers and pay destitution wages, and despite the claims of successive Prime Ministers in the last few months, the Conservative government has still done absolutely nothing to act.

P&O Ferries CEO been let off without even a slap on the wrist and in fact has been promoted to the P&O board. This level of hypocrisy has been allowed to thrive under a Government who appears to reward incompetence and punish hardworking seafarers.

I am therefore pleased that the Labour has committed to closing the employment loopholes that allow seafarers to be paid below National Minimum Wage, as well as introducing a new deal for working people to build a new partnership with employers and trade unions. I believe this would create jobs and build a society where everyone is entitled to fair pay, job security and dignity at work.

You may be aware that the Second Reading for this Bill was postponed until this coming Monday. When the Bill does return to the House of Commons, please rest assured that I will be working closely with the trade unions to support amendments to ensure key workers are entitled to a fair wage and workplace protections.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this issue.