P&O Ferries' chief executive faced intense questioning from MPs on Thursday after the company sacked 800 British seafarers without notice, replacing them with cheaper agency workers. The mass dismissal, described by unions as a 'scandalous betrayal', saw staff informed via a pre-recorded video message and escorted off ships by security guards in Dover and Larne.
Maritime minister Robert Courts condemned the treatment of workers as 'insensitive' and 'completely unacceptable', but stopped short of declaring the action illegal. He warned that P&O's services could be suspended for up to 10 days, potentially disrupting cross-Channel and Irish Sea routes. The government said it was given no notice of the plans, despite legal requirements for employers to notify ministers 45 days before sacking more than 100 staff.
Labour's shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh accused the company of acting like 'thugs' and demanded a review of government contracts with P&O's Dubai-based owner, DP World. The RMT union's general secretary Mick Lynch said it was seeking urgent legal action over what he called 'one of the most shameful acts in the history of British industrial relations'.
P&O Ferries received £33m in emergency government support during the pandemic and furloughed 1,100 staff with taxpayer help. Conservative MPs joined calls for action, with transport select committee chair Huw Merriman urging the government to consider emergency legislation to prevent similar practices.
