Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Boris Johnson: it looks like P&O Ferries sackings broke law

PM tells MPs ferry firm could face fine as its boss apologises over sudden firing of 800 staff

Boris Johnson has said it appears P&O Ferries broke the law when it suddenly sacked 800 workers, and that the government would take legal action.

The prime minister said if the company was found guilty, it could face fines running into the millions – but ignored Labour calls for government intervention to reinstate workers or to sanction P&O Ferries’ parent company, DP World.

Johnson made the comments during prime minister’s questions, shortly after the boss of P&O Ferries issued a public apology for the sacking last Thursday of almost 800 UK-based crew contracted via Jersey.

Pressed on the issue by the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, Johnson said: “We will not sit by, because under section 194 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act of 1992 it looks to me as though the company concerned has broken the law, and we will be taking action, therefore, and we will be encouraging workers themselves to take action under the 1996 Employment Rights Act.”

He said they would also be taking steps to protect all mariners working in UK waters and ensure that they are all paid the living wage.

However, Johnson ruled out taking further action against the Dubai-based owner of P&O Ferries, DP World, which is to benefit from £50m of tax breaks by running two of the government’s new freeports.

Asked by Starmer to “guarantee that these companies will not get a penny more of taxpayers’ money or a single tax break until they reinstate the workforce”, Johnson replied: “We will take them to court, we will defend the rights of British workers. What we will not do is launch a wholehearted campaign as they would want against overseas investments because that is completely wrong, and wrong for those workers.”

Starmer said other workers would fear for their jobs if P&O “got away with it” and would take no comfort from the prime minister’s “half-arsed bluster and waffle today”.

Johnson insisted: “P&O plainly aren’t going to get away with it any more than any other company that treat its employees in that scandalous way.”

Meanwhile P&O Ferries’ boss, who is due to be hauled before MPs on Thursday, said he was sorry and “wished there was another way”.

Having suspended sailings and sacked 786 people on eight ships around the UK last week, many by video message, to replace them with cheaper crew earning as little as £1.80 an hour, Peter Hebblethwaite, the chief executive of P&O Ferries, said: “I want to say sorry to the people affected and their families for the impact it’s had on them, and also to the 2,200 people who still work for P&O and will have been asked a lot of difficult questions about this.”

He said he had been speaking face to face with seafarers and their partners since the sackings. “They’ve lost their jobs and there is anger and shock and I completely understand.”

However, he said: “We needed fundamental change to make us viable. All other routes led to the closure of P&O Ferries. I wish there was another way and I’m sorry.”

The RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, said: “We have no interest in half-hearted apologies which do absolutely nothing to get our member their jobs and livelihoods back.”

He added: “It is appalling that the government is scared to take action against DP World. Of course P&O need to be taken to court but that by itself won’t get our members’ jobs back.”

About 600 crew employed via P&O agencies in France and the Netherlands have kept their jobs. Up to 250 hired in Calais and 380 in Rotterdam under local contracts were not fired, P&O Ferries said. The UK crew were hired via an agency in Jersey.

On Tuesday P&O Ferries wrote to the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, saying it had not acted illegally as it had notified the relevant authorities for its ships flagged in Cyprus, Bermuda and the Bahamas – although only on 17 March, the morning of the sackings.

A spokesperson for the business department said it was reviewing P&O Ferries’ explanations, adding: “We will continue to work at speed with the Insolvency Service to consider if legal action is required.”

Kwarteng had also asked the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate to investigate workers being paid below minimum wage, they added.

The TUC said P&O should face legal action for its failure to consult with staff. Its general secretary, Frances O’Grady, said: “All the signs point to P&O breaking the law. UK law requires companies to consult with workers and unions before making redundancies. The company are clear that they did not do this.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said ministers had instructed a total examination of any contract in place with P&O Ferries and DP World across government.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×