MARITIME union RMT called on the Scottish government yesterday to end the extreme poverty wages of seafarers employed by an “exploitative” ferry operator.

RMT revealed that the Lithuania-registered Finlandia Seaways service which operates between the Scottish town of Rosyth and Belgium, employs Lithuanian seafarers on the vessel on rates of pay as low as £1.64 per hour, well below the current national minimum wage for over 25s of £7.20 per hour.

The Scottish government has given grants of at least £356,000 to support the route while the European Union has invested around £5.5 million.