After laying off hundreds of employees earlier this year, the government has cancelled a major contract with P&O Ferries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Home Office announced the termination of its contract with the firm to provide contingency travel services to “juxtaposed ports.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These are the locations where British personnel conduct border checks in Belgium and France on passengers and goods en route to the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company then hired cheaper agency workers, drawing criticism from both trade unions and politicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We stand up to companies that exploit loopholes and undermine workers’ rights,” said Home Secretary Priti Patel on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Transport Minister Grant Shapps now intends to enact legislation requiring ferry operators using British ports to pay the national minimum wage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the 800 P&O employees were first informed of the layoffs, some refused to leave one of the ferries in protest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the time, a P&O spokesperson stated that the company needed to lay off workers due to a \u00a3100 million loss year on year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the spokesperson, P&O is currently “not a viable business.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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