What's happening at P&O

Jun 16, 2020
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They are making all sailing staff redundant evidently. It was suggested they are going to restaff withna foreign workforce. But just how they would do that overnight beats me. Announcement this afternoon.

John
 
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Jul 18, 2017
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We have never used P&O ferries as normally use Brittany ferries. How due to the increased high cost of using Brittany Ferries we are seriously thinking of using the tunnel next time we go to France. This may involve two overnight stops. one in the UK near the port and maybe one on our way south in France.
However for Spain not much of an option except to use Brittany Ferries as the drive from Calais to Spain and back again is just that bit too much.
 
Jun 16, 2020
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It is looking like a redundancy situation. Unions are advising staff to stay on board. I can’t see people accepting mass redundancies easily. Therefore massive disruption. Even if they did. How could they be quickly replaced with trained staff.

John
 
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It is looking like a redundancy situation. Unions are advising staff to stay on board. I can’t see people accepting mass redundancies easily. Therefore massive disruption. Even if they did. How could they be quickly replaced with trained staff.

John
According to the BBC staff are being sent a Zoom message regarding the current situation and unions are advising staff to stay onboard the vessels. All sailings have been postponed for a few days according to P&O.
 
Jun 16, 2020
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Evidently P&O have replacement crews waiting to get on. Current staff were told of the redundancy by a zoom message at 11am. The captains have now raised the drawbridges to prevent new people and security people coming on board. This is going to be messy all round

Personally I have already boycotted P&O. Disgraceful.



John
 
Jun 20, 2005
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P&O management are treating their staff with absolute contempt. The “foreign” staff waiting to board ship and take over have also been hand cuff trained according to BBC! Don’t think for one minute these “thugs” know anything about the sea🤬🤬🤬
 
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Mar 14, 2005
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I don't understand how P&O can get away with this action, my understanding is that redundancy applies to the position not the person ,how they can make existing staff "redundant" and then replace them with new staff doing the same job seems perverse to me. The only way I can see them getting a way with it is that somehow being registered in Dubai excuses them from UK employment rules.
 
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I don't understand how P&O can get away with this action, my understanding is that redundancy applies to the position not the person ,how they can make existing staff "redundant" and then replace them with new staff doing the same job seems perverse to me. The only way I can see them getting a way with it is that somehow being registered in Dubai excuses them from UK employment rules.
Simple. They are owned by a Dubai
Company🤮
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Ships are different to normal businesses. The P&O Ferries Dover -Calais transferred their vessel registration to Cyprus in 2019 prior to Brexit kicking in. They had also transferred the Irish and other ferries too. There were business advantages from the registration to a flag of convenience that has reduced requirements compared to British registration. Being registered in an EU country also conferred additional advantages post Brexit. At the time the union described it as a move threatening the jobs of the ferry crews. No doubt the pandemic has exacerbated the finances of the operation of the ferries, in parallel with reduced business traffic.

Nevertheless P&O methods are appalling by any standards of staff management

https://www.offshore-energy.biz/po-ferries-flagging-out-dover-calais-fleet-to-cyprus/
 
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Jan 3, 2012
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Not using P&O Ferries to travel but shocking news for the workforce saying they were replacing them with cheaper agency staff how do they get away with that .
 
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JTQ

May 7, 2005
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And of course, the "agency" will be on a nice little earner out of this as well, so for P&O to get a real cost saving the actual new operatives are being paid significantly less than yesterday's staff.

As others I can't see replacing staff is "redundancy" the task to be done still exists, so the legal position is going to be "interesting" if not extremely revealing of what our new laws in the UK, actually, look like.
 
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And of course, the "agency" will be on a nice little earner out of this as well, so for P&O to get a real cost saving the actual new operatives are being paid significantly less than yesterday's staff.

As others I can't see replacing staff is "redundancy" the task to be done still exists, so the legal position is going to be "interesting" if not extremely revealing of what our new laws in the UK, actually, look like.

Also with the agency the contracts could be different and staff may not be employed during quieter months or when a ship goes in for maintenance. So even on lower wages their continuity of earnings will fluctuate.

Another factor facing affecting ferries from Dover to Calais is the significant increase in trade from Ireland to Europe by new direct ferry routes from ports like Rosslare. Those trucks would normally have travelled to Dover from Ireland.


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...tly-from-ireland-to-eu-up-by-50-in-six-months
 
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Jul 18, 2017
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Apparently, it is not just crew that is being replaced, even the captain and officers are being replaced? I never knew that there were that many captains and officers working for agencies in the UK?
 
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Not using P&O Ferries to travel but shocking news for the workforce saying they were replacing them with cheaper agency staff how do they get away with that .
They can get away with it because ships are subject to International Maritime Law, not UK domestic law - P&O ferries are registered outside the UK.

Their treatment of staff is diabolical and I hope that all potential customers choose different ferry operators.
 
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They can get away with it because ships are subject to International Maritime Law, not UK domestic law - P&O ferries are registered outside the UK.

Their treatment of staff is diabolical and I hope that all potential customers choose different ferry operators.
Spot on Roger. As I said earlier P&O are owned by DP in Dubai. I suspect the employees contracts of employment are not U.K. based.
 

JTQ

May 7, 2005
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They can get away with it because ships are subject to International Maritime Law, not UK domestic law - P&O ferries are registered outside the UK.

Their treatment of staff is diabolical and I hope that all potential customers choose different ferry operators.

Are you inferring that UK staff employed by a foreign based company, and I suspect paying UK NI & taxes, are not covered by UK employment laws?
As so many here in the UK work for foreign owned companies, that might come as news.

Unfortunately choosing a different operator is not necessarily an easy choice, P&O are big players in the local crossing, but doings so now would certainly be my preferred option.
 
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Are you inferring that UK staff employed by a foreign based company, and I suspect paying UK NI & taxes, are not covered by UK employment laws?
As so many here in the UK work for foreign owned companies, that might come as news.

Unfortunately choosing a different operator is not necessarily an easy choice, P&O are big players in the local crossing, but doings so now would certainly be my preferred option.
an extract from the Liverpool Echo suggests the employees are Jersey contracted?

”As of this morning, we are severing the contracts of all 800 Jersey-contracted seafaring colleagues with immediate effect and will be compensating them for lack of notice with enhanced severance packages.”
 

JTQ

May 7, 2005
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No but folks have tendency at times to link everything under a common banner. P&O Cruises are owned by Carnival.

Though undoubtedly the brand name will be damaged to an extent, though that is easily worked around if sufficiently impacting by selecting another trading name and rebranding. There "Carnival" being an obvious move.
 
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Jan 3, 2012
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They can get away with it because ships are subject to International Maritime Law, not UK domestic law - P&O ferries are registered outside the UK.

Their treatment of staff is diabolical and I hope that all potential customers choose different ferry operators.
If we go away it will be with a different ferry company :)
 
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