P&O Ferries cancels sailings after sacking 800 staff
Sailings by P&O Ferries between Liverpool and Dublin were suspended today (March 17) after the company announced it was making 800 of its staff redundant with immediate effect in a bid to save £100m a year.
The ferry operator, owned by Dubai-based DP World, said it has cancelled its services for the next few days, including sailings between Liverpool and Dublin, as well as from Hull, Cairnryan in Scotland and Dover.
P&O acknowledged this will cause “significant disruption” for the next few days.
It said staff made redundant will be served with “enhanced” severance packages, saying it was a “necessary decision” to protect its remaining 2,200 staff.
It added that the business is “not viable” in its current state.
P&O said: “We have made a £100m loss year on year, which has been covered by our parent DP World. This is not sustainable. Our survival is dependent on making swift and significant changes now.
“Without these changes there is no future for P&O Ferries.”
The company issued an internal notice earlier today ordering all its vessels to return to port, ahead of the announcement.
It said: “to facilitate this announcement all our vessels have been asked to discharge their passengers and cargo and stand by for further instructions.”.
P&O said the announcement will “secure the long term viability of P&O Ferries”.
In a tweet on its company account, the firm said: “Regretfully, P&O Ferries services are unable to run for the next few hours.
“Our port teams will guide you and travel will be arranged via an alternative operator. We apologise for the inconvenience this will have on your journey plans.”
A spokesman for the company said: “P&O Ferries is not going into liquidation. We have asked all ships to come alongside, in preparation for a company announcement. Until then, services from P&O will not be running and we are advising travellers of alternative arrangements.”
In May 2020 the carrier warned that the coronavirus pandemic had impacted its business, saying that up to 1,100 workers could lose their jobs as part of a plan to make the business viable.
Nautilus International general secretary Mark Dickinson 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 taxpayers’ money during the pandemic.
“There was no consolidation and no notice given by P&O. Be assured the full resources of Nautilus International stand ready to act in defence of our members.”
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the way in which staff were informed of their sackings was completely unacceptable.
