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Displaying items by tag: Seafarers Wages Bill

Crew members who worked for P&O Ferries until almost a year ago, had lost their jobs suddenly in a mass sacking of almost 800 seafarers, however they fear a similar scandal could reoccur.

This month marks a year since the ferry company cancelled all services on the 17th March with P&O instructing their ferries to remain in ports on the Irish Sea, Strait of Dover and North Sea. Among the affected routes were Dublin-Liverpool and Larne-Cairnryan.

This followed the firing of almost a third of its workforce with the company claiming they would go bust otherwise. In a statement released at the time, P&O said they were flagging a £100 million loss year on year and that the company said it “is not a viable business”.

The move was widely condemned by unions among them the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) workers, the public and politicians alike with the UK Government announcing that it would vow to improve protections for British seafarers.

Following the crew debacle almost 12 months on, a new law ensuring all marine workers operating regularly in UK waters is being passed. The new legislation at Westminster, is designed so to deter companies from firing and rehiring staff.

According to RMT union representative, Lee Davison, a former P&O ferry crew member has said the Seafarers Wages Bill lacks teeth.

For more, ITV News reports on this story where the Bill forms part of a nine point plan to improve the pay and conditions of seafarers.

Published in Ferry

The GP14 is a popular sailing dinghy, with well over 14,000 boats built.

The class is active in the UK, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and parts of north-eastern USA, and the GP14 can be used for both racing and cruising. 

Designed by Jack Holt in 1949, with the assistance of the Dovey Yacht Club in Aberdyfi. The idea behind the design was to build a General Purpose (GP) 14-foot dinghy which could be sailed or rowed, capable of also being powered effectively by a small outboard motor, able to be towed behind a small family car and able to be launched and recovered reasonably easily, and stable enough to be able to lie to moorings or anchor when required. Racing soon followed, initially with some degree of opposition from Yachting World, who had commissioned the design, and the boat soon turned out to be an outstanding racing design also.

The boat was initially designed with a main and small jib as a comfortable family dinghy. In a design philosophy that is both practical and highly redolent of social attitudes of the day the intention was that she should accommodate a family comprising parents plus two children, and specifically that the jib should be modest enough for "Mum" or older children to handle, while she should perform well enough to give "Dad" some excitement when not taking the family out. While this rig is still available, and can be useful when using the boat to teach sailing, or for family sailing, and has some popularity for cruising, the boat is more commonly seen with the full modern rig of a mainsail, genoa and spinnaker. Australian boats also routinely use trapezes.

GP14 Ireland Event Dates 2023

  • O'Tiarnaigh (Apr 22-23) Blessington Sailing Club
  • Ulsters (May 20-21) East Antrim Boat Club
  • Munsters (Jun 17-18) Tralee Bay Sailing Club
  • Leinsters (Jul 7-9) Dun Laoghaire Regatta
  • SOYC (Aug 19-20) Rush Sailing Club
  • Nationals (Sep 1-3) Sutton Dinghy Club
  • Hot Toddy (Sep 30-Oct 1) Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club

 

At A Glance – GP14 Dinghy Specifications

Crew 2
Draft 1,200 mm (47 in)
Hull weight 132.9 kg
LOA 4.27 m (14 ft)
Beam 1.54 m
Spinnaker area 8.4 m2
Upwind sail area 12.85 m2

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