P&O Ferries.
On 17 March 2022, shipping company P&O Ferries dismissed 800 members of its shipping staff, primarily from the Port of Dover, but also from Kingston upon Hull, Liverpool and Cairnryan.
Why were the P&O staff sacked?
P&O Ferries has confirmed seven agency staff were sacked after returning from shore in breach of guidelines on alcohol consumption. The company said: “The safety of our passengers and crew is our foremost priority and we continue to operate a zero tolerance policy towards drinking whilst on duty.”
Did P&O only sack British workers?
Cross-Channel ferry company P&O made a shocking announcement on Thursday – 800 of its UK staff have been dismissed with immediate effect. But the company’s French employees are apparently not affected.
How many people did P&O Ferries sack?
The way P&O sacked 800 staff with the aim of replacing them with overseas agency staff was “illegal” and “one of the most shameful incidents in British industrial relations”, a trade union leader has told Sky News.
What happened to P&O workers?
P&O Ferries boss admits firm broke law by sacking staff without consultation. P&O Ferries broke the law by choosing to sack 800 workers without consultation because “no union could accept our proposals”, the firm’s boss has admitted.
How much compensation did P&O workers get?
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Some workers are in line for payouts of as much as £170,000 and no one will receive less than £15,000, P&O said. The payments are linked to length of service, with former crew receiving 2.5 weeks’ pay for each year they have been with the company.
Were P&O staff made redundant?
People in balaclavas ‘taking British crew’ off ships
She said the staff who have been made redundant were being replaced by agency staff in buses on the quayside. RMT representative Gaz Jackson told Sky News that he had been aboard one of the vessels when the news broke.
Did p& o sack French staff?
French news reported that, while P&O maintained a staff of around 250 persons in Calais, no French staff had been dismissed, although it was agreed that the news would “shake up” the cross channel market.
Did P&O sack or make redundant?
P&O Ferries – mass redundancy
On 17 March 2021, the ferry operator made 786 employees redundant over video link without notice or any kind of consultation. P&O later confirmed they intended to replace the redundant employees with cheaper agency staff.
Did P&O sack Irish workers?
Irish Ferries had been the forefathers of P&O axe-wielding, in 2005 sacking – albeit with consultation – hundreds of crew to replace them with foreign agency workers. Instead of acting, the RMT complained, the government “rolled out the red carpet”.
How many P&O staff were made redundant?
A partner at a top law firm has said P&O’s decision to fire 800 staff with immediate effect “appears to contravene the requirements needed for a normal mass redundancy”.
Do Russians own P&O?
P&O Ferries is a British shipping company that operates ferries from United Kingdom to Ireland, and to Continental Europe (France, Belgium and the Netherlands). The company was created in 2002 through mergers and acquisitions within P&O. It has been owned by Dubai-based DP World since 2019.
Who sold off P&O ferries?
DP World
The ferry operator was bought by Dubai-based logistics giant DP World in a £322 million deal in 2019. The company specialises in cargo logistics, port terminal operations, maritime services and free trade zones, and was formed in 2005 by the merger of Dubai Ports Authority and Dubai Ports International.
What is the P&O scandal?
The scandalous decision by P&O Ferries to sack nearly 800 staff without notice and replace them with cheaper agency workers caused justified anger across the political spectrum.
Did P&O break employment law?
Since then there has been shock and outrage, as well as Transport Secretary Grant Shapps calling for the resignation of P&O boss Peter Hebblethwaite after he admitted to a committee of MPs that the dismissals broke UK employment law.
How much are P&O paying new crew?
The union have supported their claim by pointing to the example of the two P&O ships on the Liverpool-Dublin route which have been crewed with Filipino Ratings who were on contracts which paid a basic rate of $3.47 per hour.
Will P&O boss be prosecuted?
P&O Ferries will not face criminal action over the way it fired nearly 800 employees earlier this year, the Insolvency Service has said. The firm sacked staff without notice in March, replacing them with foreign agency workers who were paid less than the UK minimum wage.
How much did the sacked P&O get paid?
P&O Ferries tries to salvage its reputation: Firm offers £36m compensation to sacked staff including payouts of more than £100,000 to 40 workers but union dismisses the offer as ‘blackmail and threats’
What is the P&O scandal?
The scandalous decision by P&O Ferries to sack nearly 800 staff without notice and replace them with cheaper agency workers caused justified anger across the political spectrum.
Did P&O sack Irish workers?
Irish Ferries had been the forefathers of P&O axe-wielding, in 2005 sacking – albeit with consultation – hundreds of crew to replace them with foreign agency workers. Instead of acting, the RMT complained, the government “rolled out the red carpet”.
Is the sacking of P&O staff legal?
Many have spoken out against P&O’s decision to sack their staff and replace them with much cheaper, third-party agency staff however, as fire and rehire is currently not illegal, action cannot come against them for the use of the practice.