P&O Ferries goes under (or not)

[vetran]

Sounds like a pretty grim prospect for these new workers. Where are they coming from? presumably they'll be flown over and put on the ship, where they'll effectively have zero rights, no chance to disembark and I would have thought minimal chance of deciding they don't want to do it any more since how would they afford the flight home? Practically modern day slavery - grim. Not far off the model P&Os owners use for migrant labour in their own country.

Welcome to the Global Serf Force! Tolerate this and your children will be next!

[mattster]

Yep. It's a very thankless task doing low level jobs on ships. If you get fired you'll also get kicked off the boat where ever it is in the world and have to make your own way home as well. It can be good money if you can see it through but it's grim working on board and very little in the way of care and benefits.

Good money? RMT have released a statement this morning - apparently it's even worse, with the new workers coming from India and getting £1.80 ph. No doubt they will effectively be trapped for the duration of their contracts, and confined to the ship for the entire time. Yes, I know that the same pay and conditions have been going on on merchant vessels forever but it doesn't make it any better. Out of sight, out of mind I guess - and since it is not the responsibility of any single government they can safely ignore it.

[Zigenare]

If you wish to find "From the horses mouth" info regarding working in the worlds Merchant Marine Fleet then search YouTube for "Chief MAKOi"

[darmstadt]

There’s a workers’ union:

The National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers

It told its members, including P&O staff, to back Brexit because…

“The EU has promoted undercutting & social dumping leading to the decimation of UK seafarers”

How’s that working out for them?

They also told members:

“Leave the EU to end attacks on workers’ rights”
“Leave the EU to end austerity”
“Leave the EU to stop the attack on our NHS”
“Leave the EU to support democracy”

And these claims are still live on their website…

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-sets...eaving-the-eu/

[OwlHoot]

There’s a workers’ union:

The National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers

It told its members, including P&O staff, to back Brexit because…

“The EU has promoted undercutting & social dumping leading to the decimation of UK seafarers”

How’s that working out for them?

They also told members:

“Leave the EU to end attacks on workers’ rights”
“Leave the EU to end austerity”
“Leave the EU to stop the attack on our NHS”
“Leave the EU to support democracy”

And these claims are still live on their website…

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-sets...eaving-the-eu/

YL - GOI

[Paddy]

There’s a workers’ union:

The National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers

It told its members, including P&O staff, to back Brexit because…

“The EU has promoted undercutting & social dumping leading to the decimation of UK seafarers”

How’s that working out for them?

They also told members:

“Leave the EU to end attacks on workers’ rights”
“Leave the EU to end austerity”
“Leave the EU to stop the attack on our NHS”
“Leave the EU to support democracy”

And these claims are still live on their website…

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-sets...eaving-the-eu/

It was not a policy made by the members, was a stance made by the union leaders who were well oiled by Russian money.

[Eirikur]

It was not a policy made by the members, was a stance made by the union leaders who were well oiled by Russian money.

But we also know it were the lower classes of workers who voted for brexit, because they believed the lies they saw on a red bus and Boris is so cuddly

[SimonMac]

There’s a workers’ union:

The National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers

It told its members, including P&O staff, to back Brexit because…

“The EU has promoted undercutting & social dumping leading to the decimation of UK seafarers”

How’s that working out for them?

They also told members:

“Leave the EU to end attacks on workers’ rights”
“Leave the EU to end austerity”
“Leave the EU to stop the attack on our NHS”
“Leave the EU to support democracy”

And these claims are still live on their website…

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-sets...eaving-the-eu/

#awkward

[darmstadt]

B****t actually has nothing to do with this, just UK labour laws. You will notice that no French, Dutch or Irish workers were sacked and this is due to the fact that those countries have better protections for employees compared to the UK. There is also the fact that if a company did try this in those countries, they would have problems with EU labour laws too which UK employees can no longer rely on. Remember that the UK wants to become Singapore on Thames which means ripping out all those pesky laws (BTW, those freeports, the company that owns P&O is invested in them and in England, the labour laws for working in them are less lax than in Scotland, interesting that eh....oh, and you the taxpayer are giving them money for these freeports)

[SueEllen]

So it's cheaper to pay £36.5 million then to keep workers on.

https://www.theguardian.com/business...sacked-workers

Ferry operator P&O has revealed it is paying £36.5m to cover compensation for the 800 seafarers it sacked without warning.
It is understood staff who accept the payouts will be required to sign non-disclosure agreements requiring them not to disparage the company.

The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, told the House of Commons on Monday P&O was using the agreements to “keep the employees quiet”, and accused the company of acting in a “shameful and unacceptable way”.

</SNIP>

It said more than 40 workers will receive more than £100,000, while no worker will receive less than £15,000.

P&O is offering two-and-a-half weeks’ salary for each year of employment, as well as up to 13 weeks’ salary in lieu of notice, and a further 13 weeks’ salary because of the absence of a consultation period. It said the compensation package was the basis for offers made to workers at the time of dismissal.
</SNIP>