A new bill to be introduced to the UK Parliament this week will provide new protections specifically devised for seafarers, toughening the laws around collective dismissal, and cementing seafarer wage protections in UK law.
The Employment Rights Bill will seek to outlaw fire and rehire by requiring employers to prove there is no reasonable financial alternative to letting staff go.
It will also close a loophole exploited in 2022 by P&O Ferries to toughen the collective redundancy notification requirements for operators of foreign vessels. Vessel operators planning to dismiss 20 or more employees will first be legally required to notify the UK Government.
The move has been welcomed by Nautilus International director of organising, Martyn Gray. “Ending the scourge of fire and rehire, a damaging practice that has caused widespread instability for maritime professionals, is a victory for seafarers' rights and a strong message of fairness and respect for all workers.”
He added that ensuring that all seafarers regularly working in UK waters were paid at least the national minimum wage equivalent was a welcome development, addressing a long-standing issue of wage exploitation in the industry.
While the union has acknowledged that these measures are an essential milestone in advancing the rights of seafarers, it believes that further strengthening of these protections is needed. “As the government's proposed Employment Rights Bill progresses through Parliament, Nautilus will continue to advocate for additional safeguards to ensure that all seafarers are afforded the same level of protection and dignity, regardless of their nationality or the flags of the vessels they work on,” Gray added.
