UK Shipping Minister Sympathetic to ‘Charter for Jobs’

U.K. shipping minister John Hayes said he is “sympathetic” to a 10-point plan that aims to boost British seafarer employment and training set out in the Nautilus International’s “Charter for Jobs.”

 

Speaking at the All-Party Parliamentary Maritime and Ports Group, Hayes said he had read the union’s charter and considered that it made “a very strong case.”

 

A call to government and industry to secure support, training and work opportunities for U.K. seafarers, the Charter for Jobs is self-described as an “SOS to deliver on promises made during the referendum debate and prioritize jobs, skills and a decent future for U.K. maritime professionals.” 

 

Questioned by Nautilus about the lack of British seafarers on the U.K.-flagged ro-ro containership Atlantic Star, which was christened in Liverpool last week, the minister said he had taken the issue up with Atlantic Container Lines and had urged the company to be a model for U.K. employment and training.

 

Hayes told the meeting that he believes Brexit will open up opportunities for British shipping and British seafarers, and he said he is reassessing the recommendations of last year’s Maritime Growth Study to ensure they remain relevant.

 

“I am very anxious to look again at the skills agenda,” he added. “I am still keen to make sure that avenues into the sector are open and that the apprenticeship program is utilized as fully as it could be.”

 

“I am confident that I am right about the post-Brexit world and if I am right there are really significant opportunities for young people to enter this sector and to build long and fulfilling careers,” the minister said.