25 June 2025
Seafarers’ union RMT today demanded urgent action from the Government to ensure unions can take pre-emptive legal action against law-breaking employers before they carry out mass sackings like those seen at P&O Ferries.
The union is calling for the introduction of a pre-emptive injunctive relief power, allowing unions to stop rogue employers in the courts before they axe unionised crews and replace them with agency labour on poverty pay and exploitative rotas.
Speaking on the Day of the Seafarer - an International Maritime Organisation event, celebrating the invaluable contribution of seafarers to global trade and the world economy, General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said:
"The unlawful actions of P&O Ferries in sacking 800 seafarers with zero warning and replacing them with cheap labour shocked the country but the law still does not stop another company from doing exactly the same thing.
"If we are serious about saying ‘No More P&Os’, then we need laws that let unions get into court and stop the damage before it happens, not after workers’ jobs and lives have already been torn apart.
"The Government’s progress on the Seafarers Charter and the Employment Rights Bill is welcome, but now it’s time to finish the job."
RMT welcomed the Government’s consultation on stronger protections for workers against fire and rehire and mass redundancies, and noted its recognition of the need to explore new powers like interim or injunctive relief.
But the union warned that without pre-emptive legal teeth, the Employment Rights Bill risks creating a loopholes for employers to exploit.
“Whether you’re working in ferries, offshore energy, cargo or deep sea shipping, you deserve the right to secure, unionised work that cannot be ripped away overnight by any employer acting with impunity,” Mr Dempsey added.
RMT is urging ministers to take decisive steps to ensure the Employment Rights Bill includes powers to halt illegal sackings before they happen, sending a clear message to employers: No More P&Os.
END
Notes:
National Minimum Wage legislation does not protect seafarers in the renewables sector and they can be legally paid as little as £1 per day.
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