Richard Ballantyne, chief executive of the British Ports Association, said the idea – touted by transport secretary Grant Shapps on Wednesday in response to the P&O Ferries scandal – would likely be "unworkable".
Shapps said the government would lay new legislation forcing ferry firms operating to and from the UK to pay minimum wage, addressing the legal loophole between UK and International Maritime Law.
The transport secretary said P&O Ferries had "ruthlessly exploited" this loophole to sack nearly 800 UK seafarers and replace them with agency workers paid well below the UK’s national minimum wage.
P&O Ferries boss Peter Hebblethwaite defended the firm’s actions, stressing that if it hadn’t sought to cut staffing costs, P&O Ferries would have collapsed resulting in the loss of another 2,200 jobs.
In response, Shapps said he had instructed Britain’s ports to refuse entry to ferries operated by companies not paying minimum wage, adding he had written to authorities in France, the Netherlands, Ireland and Denmark to propose bilateral "minimum wage corridors" guaranteeing nationals of either national sailing between their home country and the UK minimum wage.
Following Shapps’ announcement, the British Ports Association said it welcomed the opportunity to discuss minimum wage improvements in the ferry industry, but suggested ports "weren’t the vehicle to enforce such rules".
"While it’s right the government and the ferry industry look to improve employment rules and standards, the expectation that port authorities will need to enforce minimum wage rules in the shipping sector could be unworkable," said Ballantyne. "This will place ports in a difficult legal predicament, especially before any legislation is in place.
"The ports industry is genuinely sympathetic towards the situation of the impacted seafarers, however, we would suggest ports are not the competent authorities to enforce rules on employee salaries or working conditions in the shipping industry. We are concerned the government is rushing to find a solution without considering the wider implications in the maritime sector.
"However, we look forward to working with the Department for Transport and the Maritime Coastguard Agency, as well as our partners in the ferry industry, to help overcome the current challenges that have been brought into stark focus over recent weeks."
