The UK cancels a major P&O Ferries contract after the company laid off hundreds of employees.

After laying off hundreds of employees earlier this year, the government has cancelled a major contract with P&O Ferries.

The Home Office announced the termination of its contract with the firm to provide contingency travel services to “juxtaposed ports.”

These are the locations where British personnel conduct border checks in Belgium and France on passengers and goods en route to the United Kingdom.

It comes after P&O Ferries, which operates ships across the English Channel, North Sea, and Irish Sea, laid off nearly 800 employees via video call in March.

The company then hired cheaper agency workers, drawing criticism from both trade unions and politicians.

“We stand up to companies that exploit loopholes and undermine workers’ rights,” said Home Secretary Priti Patel on Twitter.

Transport Minister Grant Shapps now intends to enact legislation requiring ferry operators using British ports to pay the national minimum wage.

When the 800 P&O employees were first informed of the layoffs, some refused to leave one of the ferries in protest.

At the time, a P&O spokesperson stated that the company needed to lay off workers due to a £100 million loss year on year.

According to the spokesperson, P&O is currently “not a viable business.”

They also stated: “Our survival depends on making immediate and significant changes. P&O Ferries has no future unless these changes are made.” “These circumstances necessitated a difficult but necessary decision, which was made only after carefully considering all available options.”

All P&O ferry crew were ordered to leave, some with only five minutes’ notice, or face being hauled off by security personnel wearing balaclavas.