SHIPPING is an industry that is frequently out of sight and out of mind — but ferries are one of the few sectors with which the public are familiar. 

However, many people might be shocked to discover the pay and conditions of the crews operating some of the ships that took them away on their holidays this summer.

At the start of 2014, Nautilus International launched a major new campaign to spearhead the fight to protect members’ jobs and conditions in the ferry sector from increasing commercial and political pressures and at Congress this year we are seeking the support of delegates for this vital battle.

The European ferry trades are one of the few remaining strongholds of employment for EU seafarers. But the sector has become increasingly exposed to tough competition from low-cost operators using flags of convenience and cheaper foreign crews.

Together with our colleagues in the RMT, we have been highlighting such shocking cases as seafarers on some ferries being paid as little as £2.25 an hour. And that sort of exploitation is not unusual in British waters — there are ferries running on regular routes in the Channel, the Irish Sea and the North Sea with eastern European and Filipino crew members whose wages work out at under £2.40 an hour.

Earlier this year, Nautilus and the RMT had to fight off an attempt by one of the biggest ferry operators, Stena Line, to cut the pay and conditions of our members on the grounds that the company needed to compete against other operators employing low-cost crews.

And in Scotland, we have had to repeatedly work to defend members’ jobs and conditions from the threat posed by the tendering process for the public-service contracts to run the lifeline routes to the Western and Northern Isles — a battle that will begin once again later this year.

We all know that shipping is an international industry — one that has been at the forefront of globalisation — and it plays a vital role carrying more than 90 per cent of our international trade. 

But Nautilus believes it is plainly wrong that there are seafarers working on ships running regular services in our waters who are paid at less than one-third the national minimum wage. We wouldn’t tolerate this on land — why should it be allowed at sea?

We are determined to protect the employment, training and conditions of seafarers in the European ferry industry and to resist the growing threats posed by substandard operators who seek to undermine the ferry firms who are committed to quality and safety.

If the government is serious about its stated aim of protecting British shipping and seafaring, it must start by properly policing national minimum wage and work-permit requirements to prevent social dumping in British waters. 

It must also work within Europe to revive the proposed directive for passenger shipping services which would have guaranteed equal working rights and conditions for EU and non-EU crews, and addressed safety concerns raised by the employment of multinational crews. 

Ferry services — especially those operating lifeline routes in remote areas — are of immense economic and social importance for an island nation like Britain. And it is essential that they are operated by well-trained and experienced seafarers who are properly paid and rewarded for their work.

In the last 30 years, the number of British seafarers has fallen from almost 90,000 to fewer than 30,000 and, on current trends, the total will fall by a further third within the next 15 years. 

Nautilus believes that it is quite simply wrong to allow centuries of maritime expertise to be threatened by uncontrolled, unfair competition and that government action to safeguard this sector is long overdue. Britannia needs to rule the waves, not waive the rules.

Mark Dickinson is general secretary of Nautilus