A SCOTTISH government committee called on the UK Coastguard Agency yesterday to respond to safety concerns after the RMT condemned conditions aboard some vessels operating in the North Sea as “purgatory.”

Trade unions told the committee that British seafarers were being increasingly excluded from North Sea work due to “employers using gaps in employment legislation to employ non-UK seafarers below the UK minimum wage.”

RMT regional organiser Jake Molloy said the conditions aboard some ships were “appalling” with “less competent, less able and less willing workers being exploited in order to exploit our natural resources.”

He added: “I have done International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) inspections on some vessels that have been flying the flag of convenience, and I know that the Filipino and Indonesian workers look upon us as the police arriving to save them from purgatory.”

The ITF defines a flag of convenience ship as one that flies the flag of a country other than its country of ownership in order to drive down health and safety standards and wages, benefit from minimal regulation and taxes and boost profits.

Mr Molloy called for action to restrict employment in European Union waters to EU seafarers.

He told the Scottish Parliament’s economy, energy and tourism committee that British seafarers had taken a 25 per cent wage cut and were now working six days on and six days off in order to “try to save their jobs and compete.”

The Scottish TUC added its voice to the call for action, saying that there was “no doubt” that the health and safety of British seafarers was being compromised, and also warning that there was a continued risk to the future of jobs — in part due to tumbling oil prices.

In its report, the committee also called on the Scottish government to work harder in assessing the impact of job losses in the North Sea.

Industry organisation Oil & Gas UK warned that 65,000 jobs had gone since the start of 2014, with further losses predicted.

The committee concluded that “short-term prospects, particularly for offshore workers, appear to be very difficult,” with deputy convener Dennis Robertson adding that the industry should “ensure that essential skills are retained in the workforce.”