Seafarers and the Employment Rights Act 2025

Summary

That this House welcomes measures to strengthen the employment rights of merchant seafarers, following the P&O Ferries scandal; is concerned that some shipowners continue to profit from seafarer employment contracts which pay below the National Minimum Wage, require fatigue-inducing hours of work and exclude basic rights such as pensions; believes that collective bargaining agreements between employers and UK maritime unions are the most effective mechanism for recovering good seafarer jobs and training programmes, particularly in deprived coastal communities; agrees with the RMT trade union that seafarers on merchant ships with a sufficiently close link to the UK economy should be covered by all provisions, including improved trade union access rights and the ban on fire and rehire, in the Employment Rights Act (ERA) 2025 regardless of flag or nationality; further welcomes the commitments to seafarer rights which the Government gave during passage of the ERA, including to work with ambition and determination to advance seafarers’ rights; and calls on the Government to deliver on its commitments by starting work with the maritime trade unions on the full application of the Employment Rights Act 2025 for seafarers.

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Timeline

1. 14 October 2026

   Early Day Motion

   That this House welcomes measures to strengthen the employment rights of merchant seafarers, following the P&O Ferries scandal; is concerned that some shipowners continue to profit from seafarer employment contracts which pay below the National Minimum Wage, require fatigue-inducing hours of work and exclude basic rights such as pensions; believes that collective bargaining agreements between employers and UK maritime unions are the most effective mechanism for recovering good seafarer jobs and training programmes, particularly in deprived coastal communities; agrees with the RMT trade union that seafarers on merchant ships with a sufficiently close link to the UK economy should be covered by all provisions, including improved trade union access rights and the ban on fire and rehire, in the Employment Rights Act (ERA) 2025 regardless of flag or nationality; further welcomes the commitments to seafarer rights which the Government gave during passage of the ERA, including to work with ambition and determination to advance seafarers’ rights; and calls on the Government to deliver on its commitments by starting work with the maritime trade unions on the full application of the Employment Rights Act 2025 for seafarers.

   Source: Early Day Motion

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Sponsors

• John McDonnell · Labour · Primary sponsor

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