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Indian seafarers 'earning less than £2 an hour' used by P&O Ferries after sacking 800 staff

The company operates services from Hull, Liverpool, Cairnryan in Scotland and Dover

Unions and politicians have condemned the mass dismissal(Image: PA)

P&O Ferries has replaced the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ crews it sacked without warning last week with Indian seafarers paid just 2.38 US dollars (£1.81) an hour, a union has said.

The replacements are being paid well below the minimum wage in the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ, The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said.

General secretary Mick Lynch said: "The news that the seafarers now on ships in British ports are to be paid 2.38 dollars an hour is a shocking exploitation of those seafarers and another gut-wrenching betrayal of those who have been sacked.

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"The rule of law and acceptable norms of decent employment and behaviour have completely broken down beneath the white cliffs of Dover and in other ports, yet five days into this national crisis the Government has done nothing to stop it.

"These ships of shame must not be allowed to sail. The Government has to step in now and take control before it's too late."
The minimum wage in the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ for people aged 23 and above is £8.91 per hour.

But companies using º£½ÇÊÓÆµ ports often register ships in other countries, allowing them to pay lower wages. For example, some vessels operated by P&O Ferries are flagged in Cyprus.

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When the firm informed staff on Thursday they were losing their jobs, it told them it was aiming to halve crewing costs. No sailings have operated since that date, the PA news agency said.