Transport: Fairer competition for ferries - crew employment conditions

United Kingdom

The Commission has put forward a Directive to prevent unfair competition in ferry services in the EU. It would ensure that crew members from outside the EU were employed under the same conditions as those in the Member State where the vessel is registered. As well as promoting conditions for fair competition for passenger ferry services, the proposal aims to ensure that operators do not replace EU seafarers with others who are under-paid and do not have minimum standards of social protection. The Commission is aiming to prevent a downward spiral of poorer working conditions and job losses as a result of the recent fall in the number of EU nationals employed on EU-flagged vessels.