UK. P&O Ferries has today made 800 seafaring staff redundant and cancelled all of its services for the next few days. The UK’s RMT Union has condemned the move and called for action against the company.
P&O Ferries described its decision as “very difficult but necessary” and that it had taken the action “after seriously considering all the available options”. P&O Ferries outsourced retail operations to Dufry company World Duty Free in 2019.
Owned by Dubai ports firm DP World, the ferry operator is recovering from a £100 million year-on-year loss and two years of disruption caused by the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic has prevented tourists from travelling on its routes between Britain, France, Ireland and elsewhere in northern Europe.
A statement from P&O Ferries said the business is “not viable” in its current state.
The note from 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. Our survival is dependent on making swift and significant changes now. Without these changes there is no future for P&O Ferries.”
The staff made redundant have been served with immediate severance notices but P&O said it will be compensating them for this lack of advance notice with enhanced compensation packages.
The statement added: “In making this tough decision, we are securing the future viability of our business which employs an additional 2,200 people and supports billions in trade in and out of the UK. And we are ensuring that we can continue serving our customers in a way that they have demanded from us for many years.”
Meanwhile, RMT Union has reported this afternoon that security guards with handcuffs are boarding P&O ships to remove crew and called for “mass mobilisation against the company”.
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “We are receiving reports that security guards at Dover are seeking to board ships with handcuffs to remove crew so they can be replaced with cheaper labour.
“We are seeking urgent legal action and are again calling for the government to take action to stop what is fast turning into one of the most shameful acts in the history of British industrial relations.
“If this happens at P&O it can happen anywhere and we are calling for mass trade union and wider public mobilisation and protest against the company.”
Earlier today, Lynch had said: “We are deeply disturbed by growing speculation that the company are today planning to sack hundreds of UK seafarers and replace them with foreign labour.
“We have instructed our members to remain onboard 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.”
Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps said: “I am very concerned about the news from P&O Ferries and we will be speaking to the company today to understand the impact on workers and passengers.”
He added: “It is important to note other operators continue to run cross Channel routes, so passengers and goods can flow.”
