Brittany Ferries calls on government to focus on bill to improve seafarers salaries

Brittany Ferries has called on ministers to drive forward a Seafarers’ Remuneration Bill.

The bill, which is currently in the committee stage in the House of Lords, focuses on improving pay for seafarers who do not qualify for the national minimum wage

The ferry company said it fears the state of the economy has pushed legislation off the government’s priorities list.

Christophe Mathieu, chief executive of Brittany Ferries, said: 'We welcomed former transport secretary Grant Shapps’ determination to drive up standards in the ferry sector and to set minimum wage requirements for ferry workers.

'Now we urge the new Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan to take up the baton with the same vigour.

'As a business we want a level playing field for all seafarers, but as a society we must not allow companies to behave without regard for the well-being of key workers.'

The company operates under the French flag regulatory regime, which it says means better wages and better working conditions for all its seafarers.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: 'We take seafarer welfare seriously and we have a nine-point plan to improve their working conditions irrespective of flag or nationality, including changing the law to prevent employers undercutting wages.

The Seafarers’ Remuneration Bill is a vital part of that plan and is currently progressing through Parliament.'

Brittany Ferries operates on the Western Channel, via Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth in the UK. It sails to five destinations in France and two in northern Spain.