The Scottish Government has been warned it must intervene after it was revealed workers on publicly-funded northern isles freight vessels were being paid as little as £3.66 per hour.
It is claimed about 20 staff on the Helliar and Hildasay, which are operated by Seatruck on behalf of Serco NorthLink, have been paid below the UK national minimum wage for the last few years.
In response, Seatruck said workers on the vessels don’t need to be paid the minimum wage as the ships are not UK-flagged and the staff in question are not UK residents.
The company added that utilising the UK national minimum wage – which stands at which is £7.20 per hour for over 25s – would place it at a “serious disadvantage in relation to its competitors”.
The Scottish Government, which financially supports the northern isles ferry routes, is now asking Seatruck to accept an offer that will see Serco NorthLink contribute its own money to see wage levels rise.
The RMT union recently launched an online petition to encourage the Scottish Government to put pressure on Seatruck to pay the living wage, or at least the minimum wage.
Regional organiser Gordon Martin suggested the issue has been ongoing ever since Serco NorthLink won the contract for the north boats in 2012.
“Humza Yousaf said on Thursday that he would sort this out, but unfortunately I’ve heard this all before from the previous two transport ministers,” he said.
“Unless Yousaf delivers on his promise, he will feel the full force of an RMT campaign upon him imminently.”