BEERG Newsletter - UK: Guide to P&O Ferries employment law issues

As the dispute over the dismissal of over 800 employees by P&O Ferries and their replacement by low-cost agency workers continues in the UK, the House of Commons Library has produced a useful briefing paper P&O Ferries: Employment law issues which covers the law around redundancy, consultation, notifying authorities, minimum wage, TUPE, and fire and rehire, in the context of P&O Ferries. You can find it here 

And if things were not bad enough for the company, which has seen it take a major reputational hit as a result of the dismissal decision, on Tuesday one of its ships The European Causeway, lost power and drifted off the coast of Northern Ireland, prompting a response from local emergency services.  According to newspaper reports, after the ship got back to the port, a number of the new crew members asked maritime unions for advice about terminating their contracts. 

Darren Procter, of the Rail, Maritime, and Transport union, said Tuesday's incident was down to 'inexperienced crew' as seafarers 'familiar with the ship would have been able to keep it under power'. He also claimed P&O Ferries was holding staff to the end of their contracts and refusing to pay their travel expenses if they leave early