P&O Ferries - major announcement today. All ships in port

[cakeorwine]

Gosh. I wonder what's going on

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

And agree they should absolutely return furlough money but they won't

Both Brexit and Covid have affected profits. The infrastructure is needed though so the Govt should have been all over this.

The UK has become a PLC.. lots of British companies are owned by foreign companies.
These fat cat shareholders don’t give a shit about it’s people. It’s all business.
These shysters are all on six figure salaries no doubt.

Imagine if this happens to more companies. It could set a precedent.

French employment law was always tougher than UK. Far harder to fire staff.

@Pedallleur

They paid 250 million to shareholders and 40% of company is Russian money. Happy to take UK taxpayer money during lockdown

It's owned by a Dubai company DP World, which is wholly owned by Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem

I suppose if it hadn't taken covid support it would have gone totally bust and sooner. Not a hugely better alternative.

Fewer employment protections help Johnson’svision for Global Britain to attract investment from the Middle East.

Cheaper agency staff will make P&O more profitable.

I don't think anyone deserves to lose their job because they voted for Brexit by the way. I was careful not to say that.

@mathanxiety

...a business, not a charity

They asked for and received handouts during covid.

It seems socialism is ok when it benefits businesses and their shareholders.

The redistribution of wealth upwards has been happening for a long time now in the UK.

This is what happens every single time, socialise the losses and privatise the profits. Disgusting

@Livelovebehappy

The one thing they’ve done wrong is how they’ve delivered the news, with no notice at all - the whole thing has been managed badly. However, if the company had done it more appropriately, with notice, then they have every right to make cuts when they have been losing money in the last couple of years. They’re a business, not a charity.

wow what a race to the bottom this type of attitude is. As some other poster said this type of action, legal but moral reprehensible is the slippery slope for anyone who works for a company and has a contract.

I would also like to know who gave them the legal advice. I am still not convinced this is lawful and if it isn't, it will cost a lot to make people go away. 800 unfair/wrongful dismissal claims will be expensive

Very few will be able to afford to take them to court in Dubai/Emirates.
It's part of maritime law, you are governed by where the ship is registered.
So if anything goes wrong as it has here, your recourse is in the country of ship registration.
I've not looked it up but pp think its Dubai, probably is. Not a great place for worker rights.

@jessy100

Another brexit bonus! This wouldn't have happened if we were still in the EU. Just saw a Labour bloke from Hull ranting about workers rights. 68% of people from Hull voted for brexit. You reap what you sow.

I’m pretty pro-Europe, albeit not an evangelist, but even I know nothing’s actually changed wrt employment rights since we’ve left. This is simply the case of the Emirati disdain for employment/human rights, and a calculation that whatever it costs them will be worth it. Which, in cold hard £ terms it might well be. 800 people at £40k, plus benefits/employment costs is probably £45/50m a year. Settle for £30k each, tax free, costs £24m. Rehire on 2/3rds the cost and save £17m a year for ever. Payback under 18 months. Scale the numbers accordingly - just my guess. It’s not right, of course its not. In fact it’s shameful. But, it’s not a result of BREXIT

But, it’s not a result of BREXIT

But foreigners taking our jobs was most definitely not what the Brexiters voted for. I imagine that older workers not far off retirement anyway, will be happy to take the money and run. It's the younger ones I feel sorry for.

The sad thing the agency workers won't have any employment protection and no doubt someone somewhere will get rich taking a slice of their earnings.

p&o will probably undercut prices no and other companies will have to follow their example to compete.

@Satsumaeater

And agree they should absolutely return furlough money but they won't

Why? The furlough money was paid to the staff, P&O didn't keep it and in fact had to pay employers NIC, employers pension contributions, holiday pay, statutory sick/maternity pay, etc themselves, none of which was covered by furlough. P&O, like all other employers, made nothing out of the furlough scheme.

@PierresPotato

French employment law was always tougher than UK. Far harder to fire staff.

But still irrelevant as maritime law applies on ships based on where they are registered not where they work to/from.

@Peregrina

But, it’s not a result of BREXIT

But foreigners taking our jobs was most definitely not what the Brexiters voted for. I imagine that older workers not far off retirement anyway, will be happy to take the money and run. It's the younger ones I feel sorry for.

Well no, but, the point is it would have happened regardless of BREXIT. They’ve lost a sh*t load of money, and need to cut costs. I don’t agree with their approach, but then I again I don’t know who use us the ferry anyway - eurotunnel is a far more pleasant experience most of the time, albeit occasionally marred by French industrial action. But I don’t blame that on the EU, it’s the French ;) Much as this isn’t the EU or BREXIT, it’s the Emerati and cold hard £

You don't know who uses the ferry? Since when have there been tunnels between Hull - Rotterdam and Cairnryan - Larne?

One thing which saddens me is that people fought hard in previous decades for decent employment rights, and this is now being thrown away, with countries like Dubai being able to treat people as slaves.

Having principles is turning out to be expensive. We are getting the DFDS to Amsterdam and returning on P&O in July/August. Wanted to cancel P&O and use DFDS for return also, but it's costing almost double our outward journey price . Am determined to find another solution though!

But still irrelevant as maritime law applies on ships based on where they are registered not where they work to/from.

P&O ships are registered in various places. Pride of Rotterdam in NL, Pride of Hull in The Bahamas, not sure about their others. Not sure how this would work in practical terms.

@FuckeryOmbudsman
Its 20% RDIF owned since 2016.

Interesting interview with the MP for Hull on radio 5 earlier...
he thought that the EU legislation hadn’t been bought across into our legislation and so they had none at all.

Karl Turner MP?
That's the same Labour MP who was caught out tweeting a photo of empty supermarket shelves in Hull ('Brexit') - using a photo taken 17 months earlier at the start of the pandemic.

LBC's resident legal expert has said this is nothing to do with leaving the EU - he stated that P&O had undoubtedly breached employment laws but they had 'gamed it' by dismissing the employees and agreeing to pay the 'little bit of compensation' due - which would be much cheaper for them than paying full wages during many months of redundancy negotiations.

Brexit allowing less employee protections, the first of many such instances to occur

Imagine if this happens to more companies. It could set a precedent

As said it most likely will, both with other ferry companies who'll have to compete with P&O's lower costs and elsewhere
UK companies will have to work under our laws - unless they're ships, as has been repeatedly explained but seemingly ignored - but if they're out of money changes will have to be made, since if they go bust there'll be no jobs anyway

Surprised people consider this a shock though; the way it's been handled for the poor employees is dreadul, but the rest is the cold hard financial reality after what was done during Covid

@Hawdyerwheesht

Brexit allowing less employee protections, the first of many such instances to occur

I can't see whats changed though, because surely the relevant employment law rights have been retained as EU law and are still contained within the ERA. The only thing that would have changed is a right of ultimate appeal to the Court of Justice of the EU but since the Supreme Court would enforce the ERA that shouldn't be relevant for such a clear point.

The issue appears to be industry specific and to do with the way that the UK deals with its maritime sector.

It's got everything to do with brexit! The denial and self delusion on here out s funny!!