Responding to the Guardian report that some seafarers are still being paid less than the minimum wage by P&O Ferries, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:

“The Conservative Party are the P&O party.

“What happened at P&O Ferries two years ago was a national scandal. It should have marked a new chapter in workers’ rights.

“But Tory ministers sat on their hands. They have failed to close legal loopholes on the minimum wage. And the reforms they are bringing in – like the code of practice on fire and rehire – aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.

“It’s time for a new deal on workers’ rights – like Labour is proposing – to make our labour laws fit for the 21st century and give all workers the protection they need. And we need to boost pay and conditions in the ferries sector for good with the introduction of a mandatory seafarers’ charter.

“That’s how you make sure another P&O Ferries scandal never happens again.”