"“We stand in solidarity with all those workers affected by P & O’s actions." Photo credit: Shutterstock
Following on from P&O Ferries firing of 800 workers, MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl communicated the Union’s solidarity with those who had lost their work:
“We stand in solidarity with all those workers affected by P & O’s actions. Our members who work on cruise ships are also seafarers and we must ensure they aren’t vulnerable to abuse as a result. We also have many members who use ferry crossings when on tour; no doubt they will be reluctant to use P&O going forward.”
The Government must strengthen protection for workers
Trade unions including the MU as part of the TUC are now demanding the business secretary names a date for the government’s long-overdue employment bill.
The TUC says that while P&O Ferries’ actions appear to be unlawful, these events show that UK employment law urgently needs strengthening to properly protect workers from unfair dismissal and penalise bad employers.
In the letter, the trade unions are scalding about “the callous, illegal and premeditated firing of 800 workers by P&O Ferries”.
The unions go on to say that this “marks a new low point in UK industrial relations – and shows once again the weakness of our employment law framework in protecting working people”.
Find out more on the TUC’s website.