Transport unions are expressing concerns about safety and urging P&O Ferries staff to continue protesting after the company sacked 800 personnel and replaced them with cheaper agency workers.
Trade union Nautilus International, which represents some of those dismissed, said new crews would be “unfamiliar” with the vessels and routes.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) is calling for demonstrations in Dover, Liverpool and Hull today and said it was taking legal advice to try to challenge the sackings.
The Labour Party is urging the government to review “any and every contract and licence (it has) with P&O or (parent company) DP World”.
And a minister has told Sky News there is little the government can do about the firings because it “cannot force an employer to continue to employ people”.
The ferry operator cancelled all its services for the next few days after dismissing the workers yesterday, claiming it was “not a viable business” in its current state.
The company, owned by Dubai-based logistics giant DP World, removed staff with immediate effect via a video message, giving them no notice.
An ‘intensely worrying situation’
Nautilus International has called on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to “make sure the ships are safe” as the new crews are “unfamiliar” with the vessels and routes.
It is an “intensely worrying situation” because sailing vessels across the Channel is like “walking across a six-lane motorway at rush hour”, General Secretary Mark Dickinson told the BBC.
“There are serious safety concerns. We’ve written to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and we hope and we pray that they will do their job.”
‘Horrendous way for them to treat their staff’
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Source : skynews
