THE PRESS ASSOCIATION (Neil Lancefield, PA Transport Correspondent)
Indian seafarers hired to replace sacked P&O Ferries crews are being paid just 2.38 US dollars (1.81) an hour, a union has claimed.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), which represented many of the 800 staff fired without notice last week, said their replacements are being paid well below the minimum wage in the UK.
General secretary Mick Lynch said: "The news that the seafarers now on ships in British ports are to be paid 2.38 dollars an hour is a shocking exploitation of those seafarers and another gut-wrenching betrayal of those who have been sacked.
"The rule of law and acceptable norms of decent employment and behaviour have completely broken down beneath the white cliffs of Dover and in other ports, yet five days into this national crisis the Government has done nothing to stop it.
"These ships of shame must not be allowed to sail. The Government has to step in now and take control before it's too late."
The minimum wage in the UK for people aged 23 and above is 8.91 per hour.
But companies using UK ports often register ships in other countries, allowing them to pay lower wages.
For example, some vessels operated by P&O Ferries are flagged in Cyprus.
When the firm informed staff on Thursday they were losing their jobs, it told them it was aiming to halve crewing costs.
No sailings have operated since that date.
The company posted on Twitter on Monday morning that services will...
Amid a swirl of public speculation and growing concern, the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) has firmly rejected claims that it spent a staggering GH9 million on a turkey berry production project, de...