Uncover the reaction of unions and the UK government.
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Ferry operator, P&O Ferries, has let go of 800 staff after a “tough decision” was made in an effort to improve the future of the business. These workers are set to be replaced by cheaper agency staff.
Many have been surprised by this announcement, the ferry operator, owned by the Dubai-based DP World, told crew members to return to port and to expect a “major announcement.”
In a message shared on Twitter the company said: “We will be making a major company announcement today which, with the support of our shareholder DP World, will secure the long-term viability of P&O Ferries.
“To facilitate this announcement all our vessels have been asked to discharge their passengers and cargo and standby for further instructions.”
These instructions turned out to be for crew members to look for new work. There is now major travel disruption for those wanting to travel by ship.
Today we've announced changes to P&O Ferries. While we make these changes, many of our services will not be running over the next few days. Please visit our website for information on https://t.co/r7s0UAt1Js
In the wake of the mass sacking, unions have instructed some crew members to stay on their respective ships. According to The Guardian, the RMT (Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) general secretary, Mick Lynch, said: “We have instructed our members to remain on board and are demanding our members across P&O’s UK operations are protected and that the secretary of state intervenes to save UK seafarers from the dole queue.”
The maritime union Nautilus International has echoed the message to remain on ship.
According to the RMT, in response, private security officers have been hired and dispatched by P&O to remove staff.
BREAKING: I’m hearing that the captain of the Pride of Hull will refuse to allow the police to board the vessel if @POferries ask them to do so. #POFerries. The official sit in of the ship is supported by both @nautilusint members (officers) and @RMTunion members.
The BBC reported that P&O Ferries had released a statement that said: “In its current state, P&O Ferries is not a viable business. We have made a £100m loss year on year, which has been covered by our parent DP World. This is not sustainable. Without these changes, there is no future for P&O Ferries.”
Despite this reasoning, there has been a severe backlash to the decision. The Guardian reported that Nautilus International has described the incident as a “betrayal of British workers.”
Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, was asked by the Labour party about the situation. Shapps stated: “We [the British government] will be taking steps later today, including ensuring officials are having an urgent discussion with P&O about the situation, particularly concerning their workers.”
Outrage has been further sparked by the fact that P&O Ferries was given £33m in emergency funding by the UK government to ensure its operations would continue after the pandemic.
P&O Ferries has 4,000 members of staff, which means this firing will see it cut 20% of its workforce.
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