WORKING GROUP ON SEAFARERS' ACCESS TO THE MINIMUM WAGE

That this House welcomes the Government's enactment of the previous administration's decision to establish a working party to consider, and potentially agree, the legal position on the issue of applying the national minimum wage to non-UK flagged ships trading between UK ports; notes that seafarers are only entitled to the protection of the national minimum wage in UK internal and not territorial waters; further notes the continued employment of foreign national seafarers on rates of pay below the national minimum wage on ships in UK territorial waters; and therefore urges the Government to ensure that all seafarers working on ships trading between United Kingdom ports and in the UK offshore sector are entitled to the national minimum wage.