A couple dismissed by P&O after 31 years of combined service have described how they were marched off a ship 'like criminals' when the company summarily sacked more than 800 workers
says it have offered staff"enhanced compensation" because of the highly unusual and contrasted decision not to consult with workers before making them redundant.redundancy offers
couriered to staff today and seen by Sky News, P&O offers staff two-and-a-half weeks pay for every year of service with the company, pay to cover three-months notice pay and an additional 13 weeks wages to cover"the lack of advance notice".Unions including the RMT say P&O is in clear breach of employment law, which requires companies to consult with employees as part of a redundancy process.
They also argue that the roles are not being made redundant as the company plans to replace its employees with agency staff. In a letter to staff, P&O Ferries chief executive Paul Hebblethwaite said the move would cut crewing costs by 50% and help secure the business, which the company says required a £100m bailout from parent company DP World last year.Both P&O Ferries and DP World have declined requests to make executives available for interview.DP World director and former P&O chairman Robert Woods, who resigned from the post in December, told Sky News the redundancies were regrettable.
"I don't like it at all but that's life isn't it," he said."The company was in a very poor financial situation and it had to do this to save the ship."
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