The government is “seriously considering” continuing to work with P&O Ferries after it sacked 800 seafarers without notice via Zoom, according to transport secretary Grant Shapps.
And he told the House of Commons: “I expect many customers, passengers and freight will quite frankly wish to vote with their feet and where possible choose another operator.”
His comments follow calls for a trade and consumer boycott of the ferry company due to its actions as it sought to restart operations this week.
Shapps spoke as MPs from across the political divide joined to condemn the actions of the company during a parliamentary debate as rival Stena Line stepped in to add additional service between Scotland and Northern Ireland from today (Tuesday).
He implored P&O Ferries to reconsider the dismissals: “It is not too late to acknowledge its mistakes. I hope that the reaction to that now infamous video tells the company that this approach is quite simply unacceptable.”
During a Parliamentary debate on the issue, he said: “Of course we understand the financial pressures that many businesses are facing right now. Regrettably, redundancies are sometimes inescapable, but there is no excuse for what we saw last Thursday. There was no consultation with the workforce and no consultation with the unions.”
Shapps admitted he had been told at 8.30pm last Wednesday evening via a communication to his private office that the company would be making redundancies the next day.
He said: “The House may or may not be aware that, in 2020 during coronavirus and again in 2021, redundancies took place at P&O. In 2020, the numbers were larger than those we saw last Thursday. However, the company consulted properly about those redundancies, and they were made voluntary.”
But it was with “considerable concern” that he only became aware of the method of informing crew via a pre-recorded Zoom call when handed a note while speaking in Parliament.
Shapps added: ”It was deeply concerning to see the footage of staff being forcibly removed from ferries, underlining the cynical approach and confrontational nature of the operation, which was not at all what we had seen in those previous two rounds.
“It is astounding that a company with a long and proud maritime past, whose vessels bear names such as the Pride of Kent and the Spirit of Britain, will in future have almost no British crew on board, but it is no more astounding than the manner in which the crew were left marooned last week.”
He said he would be calling on the company to change the name of the ships, adding: “We are reviewing, as a matter of urgency, all government contracts with P&O Ferries and with [owner] DP World.
“Where possible, we are looking to use other providers if there are any contracts where the UK government are involved.
“We are considering further steps that we can take to remove P&O Ferries’ influence from the British maritime sector, including positions on key advisory boards, because, again, I do not want to see that company, given the way the management have behaved, advising on the way the British maritime sector is shaped and rolls out.
“While I welcome P&O’s plan to resume ferry operations this week, the safety of shipping remains a top priority. Staff must be experienced and trained to uphold the highest possible standards.
“I have now instructed the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to inspect all P&O Ferries vessels prior to their re-entering service, including the operational drills to ensure that the proposed new crews are safe and properly trained.
“If they are not, these ships will not sail. I expect many customers -passengers and freight – will quite frankly vote with their feet and, where possible, choose another operator.
“On that subject, for the purpose of fairness, I point out that P&O Cruises, although it shares the P&O name, is nothing to do with P&O Ferries and should not be tarnished with the same brush.”
His comments follow business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng setting a deadline of 5pm today (Tuesday) for the ferry company to answer a series of questions over the abrupt dismissals.
P&O Ferries chief executive Peter Hebblethwaite has said the firm was forced to take the “difficult but necessary” decision after losing £100 million year on year.
He added he stood by his decision to replace the fired staff with agency workers who will reduce the firm’s crewing costs by 50%.