P&O Ferries

[whole diary]

[Timmer]

Some very interesting tweets from The Independent's Travel Correspondent Simon Calder regarding P&O Ferries:

P&O Ferries has suspended sailings for 'the next few hours'

P&O Ferries "will be making a major company announcement today" about its future. Meanwhile all sailings suspended and ships tied up in port.

"P&O Ferries is not going into liquidation," the company tells me.
"We have asked all ships to come alongside, in preparation for a company announcement. Until then, services from P&O will not run and we are advising travellers of alternative arrangements”.

Article here: https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/p-o-ferries-dover-calais-cancelled-b2037850.html

[IndustryInsider]

Let’s hope the announcement isn’t about improving the service to the customers! 

[GBM]

Worst case scenario would be cutting services that are duplicated!

Didn't P&O & Sealink merge their fleets from Dover may years ago?

[Timmer]

Let’s hope the announcement isn’t about improving the service to the customers! 

Calling all ships back to port causing a lot of disruption for those travelling today does look a bit ominous.

[ray951]

The latest rumour is, is that they are going to sack all their UK^▸ (United Kingdom) staff and replace them with cheaper foreign labour.
Info from RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/future-of-pando/

[grahame]

The latest rumour is, is that they are going to sack all their UK^▸ (United Kingdom) staff and replace them with cheaper foreign labour.

More just published on the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60779001

P&O Ferries has paused its services "in preparation for a company announcement" later on Thursday.

The ferry operator said it was not going into liquidation but all ferries had been instructed to stay in port.

Union RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) urged the firm to protect jobs amid speculation that hundreds of crewmembers could "be sacked and replaced with foreign labour".

As a result some sailings scheduled for today have been cancelled, with passengers told to use other companies.

P&O services scheduled today include 14 between Dover and Calais, three between Liverpool and Dublin and seven between Larne in County Antrim and Cairnryan in Dumfries and Galloway.

[Timmer]

The latest rumour is, is that they are going to sack all their UK^▸ (United Kingdom) staff and replace them with cheaper foreign labour.
Info from RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/future-of-pando/

Irish Ferries recently started operating Dover-Calais, and if Social media is to be believed (I know, not a good place to get info from) they are using overseas crews and this could offer an explanation as to what P&O could be doing. As I say, it looks very ominous if you bring all your ships back to port like they have done today. Have the existing crews been asked to leave the vessels they work on pending the announcement?

[GBM]

Irish Ferries recently started operating Dover-Calais, and if Social media is to be believed (I know, not a good place to get info from) they are using overseas crews and this could offer an explanation as to what P&O could be doing. As I say, it looks very ominous if you bring all your ships back to port like they have done today. Have the existing crews been asked to leave the vessels they work on pending the announcement?

Bad sign.  Irish Ferries went over to overseas crewed ships (including most Officers) many years ago.
Hadn't realised they'd spread to the Dover route.
Yes, they will be running with far less crewing costs when compared to P&O, so a very sad day if P&O follow that lead.

[Timmer]

  

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10622893/P-O-Ferries-suspends-sailings-ahead-major-announcement.html

P&O Ferries today made all its crew members redundant with immediate effect and replaced them with agency staff - but union leaders told workers to refuse to leave their ships and stage a 'sit in' amid a huge row over pay.

Agency workers are already waiting at docksides ready to board the ferries, but P&O faces a battle to persuade its hundreds of existing staff to disembark due to widespread fury at its 'treacherous' decision.

The RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) said: 'We have instructed our members to remain onboard and are demanding our members across P&O's UK^▸ (United Kingdom) operations are protected and the Secretary of State intervenes to save seafarers from the dole queue.'

Labour MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) Karl Turner posted a photograph of a coach which he stated contained 'new foreign crew waiting to board the Pride of Hull' at King George Dock, Hull.

Members of the RMT union are 'sitting onboard the vessel', so the new crew 'will not be boarding her', he wrote. He added: 'We understand that both current officers and ratings are to be sacked.'

P&O Ferries - which said existing workers can apply to the agency for work - preceded its announcement by dramatically ordering all its ships back to port and kicking off bemused passengers with little warning.

The news has caused chaos for tourists and freight businesses, with huge crews of lorries seen queuing at Dover.

[grahame]

BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60779001

P&O Ferries has sparked outrage after sacking 800 staff with plans to replace them with cheaper agency workers.

Staff were told in a video call that today was their "final day of employment", but some refused to leave their ships in protest and were forcibly removed.

P&O said it was a "tough" decision but it would "not be a viable business" without the changes. But the government called the workers' treatment "wholly unacceptable".

"Reports of workers being given zero notice and escorted off their ships with immediate effect while being told that cheaper alternatives will take up their roles shows the insensitive way in which P&O have approached this issue," said Robert Courts, parliamentary under secretary for transport.

And the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) union is threatening legal action against P&O, calling it one of the "most shameful acts in the history of British industrial relations".

The BBC has seen details of a contract for handcuff-trained security professionals which began two days before they were deployed to Dover to remove staff from ferries.

TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said P&O's "secret plan" to sack staff with no notice was "reprehensible".

P&O said its services would not operate for the "next few days", with passengers told to use other companies.

[ChrisB]

Surely there’s a class action possible here?

People surely have a contract with P&O to be transported from A to B on a certain date? And for the next 10 days, they can’t, owing to a situation that they themselves caused, created & now find themselves in.

Anyone unable to be transported on the day in question from their contracted points of entry & exit are entitled to be transported to & from ports C & D where no other operator can accomodate to/from A & B, or to be accomodated locally at P&O total expense until such times as they can fulfil the contract. I understand this all licks in just 90 minutes after contracted departure time according to Which? Magazine.

I have not heard to P&O are offering anything, other than DFDS alternative from Dover, IF they have space available. So expect a class action to start in next few days

[broadgage]

Surely there’s a class action possible here?

People surely have a contract with P&O to be transported from A to B on a certain date? And for the next 10 days, they can’t, owing to a situation that they themselves caused, created & now find themselves in.

Anyone unable to be transported on the day in question from their contracted points of entry & exit are entitled to be transported to & from ports C & D where no other operator can accomodate to/from A & B, or to be accomodated locally at P&O total expense until such times as they can fulfil the contract. I understand this all licks in just 90 minutes after contracted departure time according to Which? Magazine.

I have not heard to P&O are offering anything, other than DFDS alternative from Dover, IF they have space available. So expect a class action to start in next few days

Probably no more of an enforceable contract, than railway passengers have with "the railway"
Legal action is fairly regularly threatened  against the railway for failing to deliver, it VERY SELDOM  succeeds.

[broadgage]

sailings now suspended for "about 10 days" according to BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) 1 news this evening.

Probably the end of the company.
A lot of custom will have been lost by shutting down for about 10 days.
More custom will be lost due to perceived unreliability.
Others will boycott the company in protest at their behaviour.
Quality and reliability are likely to suffer from all new crews without any relevant experience.
Safety standards may become more "flexible"

Meanwhile the channel tunnel is so far as I know operating as normal.

[Electric train]

P&O could be cursing for a hefty fine if the Unions take legal action for breaching UK^▸ (United Kingdom) employment law.

Could the CEO^▸ (Chief Executive Officer) and his board members be cited in any legal action.

P&O action yesterday should be of concern to anyone who is employed on a 'permanent employment contract' as it could give licence to employers to just sack people

[IndustryInsider]

I read somewhere that UK^▸ (United Kingdom) employment law might not apply to persons employed in the shipping industry?

What an appalling way to treat your staff though!  I do hope Broadgage is right in that there is a lot of damage to reputation as a result, though sadly I suspect the parent company might not be too sorry to offload it or see it go under.