P&O is suspending services for up to 10 days following this morning's (Thursday) redundancy announcement, the House of Commons has been told. Maritime minister Robert Courts was making a special address following the news that 800 seafarers would lose their jobs.
Mr Courts said passengers should expect disruption to ferry routes in coming days, with P&O likely to suspend all services for as long as 10 days. He told MPs: “In taking this decision to make seafarers redundant, P&O have also today informed us they will be suspending services for approximately a week to 10 days while they locate new crew.”
He told MPs that routes affected included Dover to Calais, Larne to Cairnryan, Dublin to Liverpool, and Hull to Rotterdam, but that “alternative provision” from other operators was being provided.
Mr Courts said: “Passengers will still be able to travel to and from the UK, including across the Channel, with freight coming in and out of the country. I must warn travellers they should expect some disruption over the coming days.”
He also condemned P&O’s decision to fire 800 members staff with no notice as “wholly unacceptable”, saying: “These are hardworking, dedicated staff who have given years in service to P&O. The way they have been treated today is wholly unacceptable and my thoughts are first and foremost with them.
“Reports of workers being given zero notice and escorted off their ships with immediate effect while being told cheaper alternatives would take up their roles shows the insensitive way in which P&O have approached this issue, a point I have made crystal clear to P&O’s management when I spoke to them earlier this afternoon.
“I am extremely concerned and frankly angry at the way workers have been treated by P&O.”
Earlier today, Downing Street said that the way P&O Ferries informed staff they were being sacked to be replaced with cheaper agency workers was "unacceptable". The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Mr Courts had raised the issue with the company’s chief executive.
“The way these workers were informed was completely unacceptable,” the spokesman said.
“Clearly the way that this was communicated to staff was not right and we have made that clear. Our sympathies are with these hard-working employees affected during this challenging time who have given years of service to P&O.”
