Controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2022
Mass dismissal of seafarers
P&O Ferries terminated approximately 800 UK seafarers without prior consultation and planned to replace them with agency workers. The manner of the announcement, the use of security personnel and the subsequent safety and employment scrutiny generated condemnation from unions, politicians and business figures.
2022
P&O Ferries outlines severance offer for redundant staff
Company response
P&O Ferries said 800 redundant staff would be offered a total of £36.5m, with some eligible for more than £100,000. The offer followed the company’s dismissal of workers without warning; unions characterized the package as “pure blackmail and threats.”
Company response
Refund or compensation — P&O Ferries
P&O Ferries has said 800 redundant staff will be offered £36.5m in total
Denial — P&O Ferries
The firm has also denied that it broke the law when it sacked the workers without warning last week.
Source excerpt
However, unions said the compensation package being offered was "pure blackmail and threats".
P&O Ferries has said 800 redundant staff will be offered £36.5m in total - with around 40 getting more than £100,000 each.
The firm has also denied that it broke the law when it sacked the workers without warning last week.
2022
P&O Ferries faces protests and boycott calls over job cuts
Public backlash
P&O Ferries faced protests and boycott calls following the dismissal of 800 workers. The article reports protests against the job cuts and more than 3,000 social-media mentions of #boycottpando in the preceding 24 hours.
Stated objective. P&O said it would not be a viable business without the changes.
Company response
Clarification — P&O Ferries
P&O said it was a "tough" decision but it would "not be a viable business" without the changes.
Source excerpt
There have been more than 3,000 mentions of #boycottpando on social media with a reach of about 3.5 million in the last 24 hours, notes Abby Mangold.
P&O Ferries sparks outrage by sacking 800 workers
Protests against the P&O Ferries job cuts in Dover on Friday
2020
P&O Ferries criticized over job cuts after furlough support
Public backlash
P&O Ferries faced criticism from the RMT and Dover's mayor after announcing job cuts following its receipt of taxpayer support through the government's furlough scheme. The company declined to comment further on the matter. The criticism centered on the timing of the job cuts relative to the public support received.
Source excerpt
The RMT and Dover's mayor said P&O had announced the cuts after receiving taxpayer support in a move that would hit workers and the local economy.
Operator P&O Ferries has been criticised for announcing 1,100 job cuts after taking advantage of the (UK) government's furlough scheme.