The company is reportedly planning to lay off all staff and use an agency to keep their ferries running in the future, with current staff able to apply to the agency to work.
Karl Turner, the MP for East Hull, posted pictures on Twitter of a P&O ferry at Hull’s King George Dock. He also shared a picture showing replacement agency workers waiting to board.
He wrote: “New foreign crew waiting to board the Pride of Hull on King George Dock. RMT Union sitting in onboard the vessel. They will not be boarding her. We understand that both current officers and ratings are to be sacked.”
Responding to the news about P&O Ferries, Mark Dickinson, chief of maritime union Nautilus International, said: “The news that P&O Ferries is sacking the crew across its entire UK fleet is a betrayal of British workers. It is nothing short of scandalous given that this Dubai owned company received millions of pounds of British taxpayer’s money during the pandemic.”
Reports about P&O Ferries’ plans emerged ahead of an expected announcement by the company on Thursday.
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