P&O have Peed & Offed

[classic33]

From the BBC webpage

I very much hope the service is suspended for much, much longer than that - due to the great difficulty in their ability to locate new passengers ...

The Dublin to Liverpool service was one end of the M62 corridor, Hull being the other end. Mainly freight for the last few years now.

 

[KnittyNorah]

The Dublin to Liverpool service was one end of the M62 corridor, Hull being the other end. Mainly freight for the last few years now.

Grump.

 

[All uphill]

I don't suppose they will mourn the loss of passengers if freight is where they make their money.

Expletive expletives.

 

[classic33]

I don't suppose they will mourn the loss of passengers if freight is where they make their money.

Expletive expletives.

They still have the drivers to carry. Those lorries don't drive on and off themselves.

 

[KnittyNorah]

They still have the drivers to carry. Those lorries don't drive on and off themselves.

They will be doing within a few years, according to freight forecasting. Or at least in part.

 

[chriswoody]

I was just about to book with them to take my wife and the children across to Britain to see my family for the first time in 2 years when this news came through. Disgraceful conduct and this is the only info on their web page about it:

"P&O Ferries have today announced a programme of work to become a more competitive and efficient operator, providing a better service to our customers across the tourism and freight industries.​

While we enact these changes, there will be significant disruption across P&O Ferries services over the next few days, however we are working to minimise the impact on your journey. ​

If travelling on our Dover/Calais route please arrive at the port as booked and we will arrange to get you away on an alternative carrier as quickly as possible."​

A program of work? it makes it sound like they are fixing their ferries, rather than sacking all of their staff.

I've opened the DFDS webpage now and I'll sail with them, no way am I giving a cent of my money to this company again.

 

[mjr]

Don't think there's any ferry sailing from the UK registered in the UK at present.

Stena Britannica? The Calmac, Wightlink and Red Funnel ones?

 

[Brandane]

The Calmac, Wightlink and Red Funnel ones?

I'm not familiar with the Stena Britannica, but the other ferries do not sail FROM the UK; they sail WITHIN UK waters.

 

[Time Waster]

As o understand it ferry employees come from various sources, companies, agencies etc already. Lots of contracts and legality will be very complicated. Whatever the situation P&O will have costed the options and this worked out the best for them. Bear in mind it's possibly not exactly just a case of replacing with cheaper employees. That's simplistic. At least partly there will be, in their poverty, the benefits of de-unionising their business and ending collective bargaining.

Having been made redundant while on holiday and only finding out when I turned up at work to be asked by several people "what are you dying here? ". Eventually a manager told me the situation. So I do feel for the ferry workers. I just do not see everything in black and white. It wouldn't surprise me to eventually hear about issues with other parties too. No idea what but I predict there's more to this than we know now.

 

[mjr]

I'm not familiar with the Stena Britannica,

Big ferry. Sails Harwich to the Hook of Holland, sharing the passenger route with the Dutch-flagged Stena Hollandica.

It looks to me like the Stena Europe (currently on Fishguard-Rosslare), Stena Adventurer (currently moored at Birkenhead, but normally on Holyhead-Dublin) and some of the DFDS Dover ferries (Delft Seaways, Dover Seaways and Dunkerque Seaways) are also under UK flag.

 

[Scotchlovingcylist]

Me and the GF love a ferries trip and we were looking to book foe end of the year but after the news today have both agreed no more with them. Absolutely disgusting, morally wrong behaviour.

 

[Donger]

It was a commercial decision. It is clearly easier to sack U.K. staff as oppposed to their French counterparts whom none have been sacked.

This will save them lots of money to keep their business afloat. However I suspect the huge amount of badwill will hurt their profit. It all depends on how much the country cares and how long we remember

Brexit: The gift that just keeps giving.

 

[Spiderweb]

I have 2 cabins booked from Hull to Rotterdam in July 😳

 

[Arrowfoot]

Both the cruise and ferry sectors suffered significantly due to Covid border closures. I am surprised some have not gone under.

So this desperate measure is not unexpected. This is where the welfare system and NHS should never be taken for granted. The US despite its might does not have a safety net for its citizens.

The UK Govt however does need to step in as there is clear discrimination between UK and French employees. It is no longer a union issue. There is legislation in place for Workplace discrimination but I realise that difficulties are due to 2 separate jurisdiction. The Govt must still intervene If not UK citizens become easy targets.

 

[Time Waster]

Brexit: The gift that just keeps giving.

It's been cheaper to sack uk staff for a long time before Brexit. Iirc decades ago a uk factory closed or downsized saving a French factory in the process because even all those uk redundancy payouts, loss in productivity (uk factory was actually more efficient and productive than French one), etc was less than paying off the French staff.

This is another case of hard nosed business decision without considering the value of your resources fully. Humans as a resource with value is underestimated a lot imho. Whilst the replacements were also human those in the job had value not accounted for I reckon as the incumbents.