Two Scottish P&O Ferries workers explained they have dedicated half their lives to the firm before their futures were cruelly sunk by callous bosses.
The two P&O chefs Mark Patterson and Alan McCulloch, from Stranraer, never missed a shift during lockdown or took a penny of furlough, and worked right through the pandemic.
Both men, aged 59, are said to be among 800 workers to be given the boot this week.
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The Daily Record report that union bosses say they are to be replaced by “an army of scab labour”, on much lower wages and poor contracts.
Mark and Alan, who earned £30,000 a year, each spent 30 years working for the firm, during which time they have felt like family members of fellow staff.
As they met at Cairnryan yesterday, they looked out on the huge European Causeway ferry, which they’ve worked on since it was introduced 21 years ago.
Mark slated P&O for the brutal way in which they were told their careers were finished, without notice, after decades of service. The same fate could affect up to 100 others in Scotland.
He said: “I was on a holiday at Centre Parcs on Thursday and I got a call right out of the blue to say I was sacked, with no notice or barely a thank you.
“There’s no jobs to be had down here, which is one issue. But I just can’t believe the callous way they did this after 30 years of service.
“There is not an inch of that boat I don’t know and I have felt like family with the other people on board.
“During the lockdown, I never missed a shift. I got on board and put my own health on the line, before vaccinations and boosters were a thing.
“Three of us did the work of five people – but this is the thanks we got. It’s disgraceful and I feel we have been treated like our service meant nothing.”
Protests were yesterday staged at Dover, Liverpool, Hull and Larne and Cairnryan will stage one on Wednesday.
Unions are also calling for a boycott of P&O Ferries and a government clampdown on the “illegal” tactics, amid fears that the callous measures could be copied by other big employers.
RMT union regional organiser Gordon Martin said: “It’s a hammer blow and sets a terrible precedent for workers’ rights. There is a dedicated workforce being replaced by a cheaper army of scab labour.
“P&O should be boycotted by any travellers who value workers’ rights. Their conduct should be examined because they have broken many rules that are meant to protect workers.
“We will be seeking legal redress for our members but this will be a massive blow for people around Cairnryan and Stranraer and the south west.”
Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, asked why P&O sacked staff without notice or consultation. He said: “For staff to be told via a pre-recorded Zoom call is absolutely unacceptable.”
Stranraer councillor Willie Scobie also blasted P&O but he slammed the Scottish Government for not making infrastructure improvements to help P&O make a profit in Cairnryan.
