The P&O Ferries scandal is one of the most shameful events in the recent history of industrial relations in this country.
Eight hundred seafarers were sacked over Zoom, with no consultation or prior warning. No one should face that sort of shabby treatment – let alone a whole workforce. And these workers are now being replaced with cheaper agency staff – with lower pay and less rights.
Sacked staff must be reinstated immediately, or P&O should face serious consequences. A slap on the wrist just isn’t going to cut it. But more broadly, this scandal has made clear that UK employment law needs urgently dragging into the 21st century.
After a pandemic which saw the rise of the use of “fire and rehire”, the practice where staff are sacked only to be re-employed on worse terms and conditions, this has to be the last straw. We must open a new chapter for workers’ rights.
And it’s long overdue. The Government promised an employment bill over two years ago which would boost workers’ rights. That bill is nowhere to be seen.
Our Prime Minister said he would make Britain the best place to work in the world. But the P&O scandal shows we are miles away from that goal.
The time for excuses is over. Bad bosses need to know they can’t get away with treating staff like disposable labour. We need stronger legislation to make sure what happened last week at P&O Ferries is never allowed to happen again.
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