P&O Ferries: Staff protest against ‘vicious’ sackings as minister says there is nothing government can do
Transport unions are expressing concerns about safety and urging P&O Ferries staff to continue protesting after the company sacked 800 personnel and replaced them with cheaper agency workers.
Trade union Nautilus International, which represents some of those dismissed, said new crews would be “unfamiliar” with the vessels and routes.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) is calling for demonstrations in Dover, Liverpool and Hull today and said it was taking legal advice to try to challenge the sackings.
The Labour Party is urging the government to review “any and every contract and licence (it has) with P&O or (parent company) DP World”.
And a minister has told Sky News there is little the government can do about the firings because it “cannot force an employer to continue to employ people”.
The ferry operator cancelled all its services for the next few days after dismissing the workers yesterday, claiming it was “not a viable business” in its current state.
The company, owned by Dubai-based logistics giant DP World, removed staff with immediate effect via a video message, giving them no notice.
An ‘intensely worrying situation’
Nautilus International has called on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to “make sure the ships are safe” as the new crews are “unfamiliar” with the vessels and routes.
It is an “intensely worrying situation” because sailing vessels across the Channel is like “walking across a six-lane motorway at rush hour”, General Secretary Mark Dickinson told the BBC.
“There are serious safety concerns. We’ve written to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and we hope and we pray that they will do their job.”
‘Horrendous way for them to treat their staff’
Armed forces minister James Heappey said P&O’s decision was “disgraceful” and the government was not given much more notice than the sacked employees themselves.
“It’s shoddy to do that and not to give the Department for Transport any notice of the fact you’re going to do it,” he told Sky News.
“Sadly it is the case that the government cannot force an employer to continue to employ people that the employer has said it doesn’t want to employ.”
He added: “It’s an absolutely horrendous way for them to treat their staff and I know there is a lot of anger amongst ministerial colleagues.
“They are seeing what they can do to make the situation better, but the reality is P&O has made a commercial decision, and as much as we disagree with it, I fear that for those workers, they’ve been badly let down by their employer.”
Mr Heappey said he was unsure whether the government would be able to get back £10m from P&O which it paid to its staff in furlough money.
Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, tweeted: “Labour have called on the government to review ‘any and every contract and licence that the government have with P&O or DP World’, including DP World’s running of two freeport schemes. They must do more to protect workers.”
Sky News correspondent Rob Powell said Labour was also calling for the removal of DP World from the government’s transport advisory group, the clawing back of government COVID support given to DP World, and the outlawing of fire and rehire.
‘Kick in the teeth’
The RMT described the move as an “appalling situation” and a “vicious example of despotic employer behaviour”.
The union’s general secretary, Mick Lynch, said it was a “kick in the teeth to the hard-working members of staff who have kept the business running through the global health crisis”.
He also claimed the union received reports of security guards at Dover boarding ships to remove crew members with handcuffs.
A ‘difficult but necessary’ decision
In a statement, P&O Ferries said: “We have made a £100 million loss year-on-year, which has been covered by our parent, DP World. This is not sustainable”.
The company insisted the decision to cut jobs was “very difficult but necessary” to plug its losses.
The move is believed to affect everyone – from captains and check-in staff, to those in engine rooms, to loaders and cleaners.
The company said those affected will be served with “enhanced” severance packages, calling the move “necessary” to protect its remaining 2,200 employees.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said his officials would be having “urgent discussions” with P&O Ferries as he expressed concern over the suspension of sailings.
Maritime minister Robert Courts told the House of Commons last night he was “extremely concerned and frankly angry” at the treatment of workers by P&O.
Peter Aylott, director of policy at the UK Chamber of Shipping, which represents the industry, said P&O Ferries had “no option but to do something”.
He told the BBC: “The company was valued effectively in 2019 at £350 million.
“It’s been losing £100 million a year through the pandemic, caused by an event that obviously they had no control of. Clearly something had to be done.
“I can’t possibly comment on the conduct of what was done, but I can comment on the fact that 2,200 people’s jobs have been saved, otherwise the company probably would have ended up, I imagine, in liquidation.”
Regarding safety, he said he was “very confident that P&O will have put procedures in place to ensure that the individuals that are going to be in control of those vessels will be familiar with the ships, familiar with the systems and will be competent and qualified to operate those vessels in a safe manner”.
Travellers urged to make alternative arrangements
Amid disruptions to its services, P&O Ferries tweeted this morning advising travellers to make alternative arrangements and that regular updates will be provided.
The company, which transports passengers and freight, operates four routes: Dover to Calais; Hull to Rotterdam; Liverpool to Dublin; and Cairnryan in Scotland to Larne in Northern Ireland.
