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P&O Ferries - wholesale 'fire and rehire'

David

On the face of it, startling - appalling? - employer actions from P&O

eg

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/p-o-ferries-dover-calais-latest-news-suspended-b2037991.html

It's possibly legally-complicated because they're seafarers, but can't see how on earth they're being 'made redundant'

If these actions end up being deemed to have been lawful, then there's something badly wrong with the applicable law, IMHO.

Parents
  • I suspect that P&O Ferries' reputational damage will last longer than they expected, not just from the initial public horror but also the news that highly experienced seafaring professionals have been replaced with cheap labour reputedly being paid below NMW in some cases. One can only imagine the impact on safety with that - who will want to get on a P&O Ferry again?!
  • in reply to Claire
    I would like to think you are right Claire - certainly current social media supports a boycott of using P&O. But people have short memories and financial pressures, and when they are £10 cheaper than a rival - many will soon forget.....
  • in reply to Anne

    Sadly you're right, Anne. The more sobering thought is the one that asks "If they're prepared to completely ignore employment law to save a few quid, how likely are they to have also cut corners on safety training, equipment and maintenance?"

    David, I remember back when we were discussing the awful employment practices at Sports Direct, we wondered what role the HR Director there had played at the time in enabling (or, at best, not constraining) Mike Ashley's worst excesses. And similar questions have been asked of the HR leadership in Amazon (although that must perforce be influenced by US work culture).

    Will the CIPD hold the HR leadership at P&O accountable for ethical violations, or whichever clever-clever change management consultant they called in to help make this happen (assuming they are members)?

  • in reply to Robey
    The CIPD take these concerns very seriously. The Code of Conduct is underpinned by a process to examine potential breaches such as these and we are reviewing the situation.
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