SOS 2020 campaign – Demonstration against low-pay at P&O, Cairnryan Port, Friday 6th July

Circular No: NP/0111/18

TO ALL BRANCHES AND REGIONAL COUNCILS.

Our ref: S1/1 S2/5

22nd June 2018

Dear Colleagues

SOS 2020 campaign – Demonstration against low-pay at P&O, Cairnryan Port, Friday 6th July

Further to circular no. NP/088/18 of 21st May 2018, the next SOS 2020 campaign action will be held on Friday 6th July at Cairnryan Port near Stranraer.

The demonstration on 6th July will start at 12pm sharp, P&O Ferries, The Port, Cairnryan, Stranraer DG9 8RF. RMT members, activists and officials will assemble at midday in order to catch passengers getting off the 10.30am sailing from Larne to Cairnryan (due in around 12.30pm) and those arriving to board the 1.30pm sailing from Cairnryan to Larne.

P&O ferries on this route are crewed with some Ratings on pay below the National Minimum Wage (NMW). This includes Spanish seafarers on the P&O European Causeway who were being paid €5.36 p.h. (£4.70 at the current exchange rate) when seafarer employment agreements on the vessel were inspected by the ITF last year at the RMT’s request.

Application and enforcement of the NMW on the Cairnryan-Larne and other domestic shipping routes has been recommended by the Government’s Legal Working Group on the NMW and Seafarers. RMT, along with Nautilus, were part of that Legal Working Group. The union is demanding that the Government make the necessary legislative changes as soon as possible to tackle the abuse of employment law loopholes by employers like P&O.

Leaflets, flags and other regalia will be distributed on the day. Shipping and offshore members and activists are strongly encouraged to attend this demonstration calling for action against employers that continue to profit from attacking seafarers’ employment rights. The cost of attendance is a legitimate form of Branch expenditure.

I would be grateful if you could bring the contents of this circular to the attention of members in your branch and you will be kept updated with all further developments.

Yours sincerely

Mick Cash
General Secretary