P&O

[rudebhoy]

Is one of the get outs here that the ship is not registered in the UK so rates of pay, conditions etc are not covered by UK law? P & O are saying they are going to halve wage costs by doing this so either the existing staff were on big money or the pay, with an agency also taking a cut, is well below minimum wage.

Does anyone know?

According to the BBC, the agency staff are being paid £2.60 an hour.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

According to the BBC, the agency staff are being paid £2.60 an hour.

That's clearly against the law in the UK. Presumably it's about where it's registered then and that trumps all.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Maybe not financially, but reputational damage can have financial impact (such as loss of potentiaal customers), at least in a 'free' economy. It's just not obvious as direct fines.

I think they weighed that possibility up and still went for the cuts now, build back reputation later based on cheap pricing.
So often in transport and service it is a race to the bottom in working conditions and pay.

 

[Foxholer]

I think they weighed that possibility up and still went for the cuts now, build back reputation later based on cheap pricing.
So often in transport and service it is a race to the bottom in working conditions and pay.

I'd normally simply 'Like' your post, as I totally agree with it. But 'like'-ing such an environment simply grates!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I have no doubt that people will still use P&O because they will provide cheap travel across the channel - many people won’t care about their actions because people will just look at what cost savings they can make

 

[Imurg]

I have no doubt that people will still use P&O because they will provide cheap travel across the channel - many people won’t care about their actions because people will just look at what cost savings they can make

After all..thats why people use Ryanair.....

 

[Billysboots]

After all..thats why people use Ryanair.....

I know an ex Ryanair pilot who says he wouldn’t fly with them as a passenger. He left owing to concerns over cost cutting and how that impacted on maintenance programs. Slightly concerning for those of us who are nervous fliers, although I won’t travel with them owing to the way they treat customers with such disregard. I’d rather pay a few quid more and book a different carrier.

As for P & O, I absolutely agree people will continue to travel with them. Fare paying passengers invariably don’t look beyond the cost, and certainly won’t consider the company’s lack of morals when booking a cheap crossing.

 

[rudebhoy]

So P&O sack their UK-based staff, but not those in Ireland and France. Presumably because EU law offers them a better level of protection?

 

[IanM]

The Ships are flagged outside both uk and EU so some of the narrative is deliberately incorrect.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

So P&O sack their UK-based staff, but not those in Ireland and France. Presumably because EU law offers them a better level of protection?

Would the UK have unravelled that legislation already? I know from dealing with a French company that their workers protection far exceeds that of ours, to the point of it being a big issue for employers. The protection will likely be country dependent rather than eu.

 

[Mudball]

The Ships are flagged outside both uk and EU so some of the narrative is deliberately incorrect.

Genuine question… does it matter where it is flagged. When someone joins as a crew on one of the P&O.. do they contract with the ship or the owner? For large merchant ships, I believe you are linked to the ship rather than say Mersk. But I was assuming that for a ferry service, you could be rostering as a shift and be on any boat.
Also they must be operating mostly in U.K. territorial waters rather than international… so U.K. laws apply.

Ofcourse my assumption may be wrong (not the first time). But that does not explain why only U.K. staff were fired but not the EU ones.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

After all..thats why people use Ryanair.....

Indeed. The general public just want to get from A to B as cheaply and quickly as possible

 

[sunshine]

Currently fashionable for sponsors to drop when the subject is bad PR (Mickelson, Chelsea etc). Will be interesting to see if the European Tour takes action and drops DP World.

Greg Norman must be loving this. Deflecting attention away from his sponsors.

 

[woofers]

I have no doubt that people will still use P&O because they will provide cheap travel across the channel - many people won’t care about their actions because people will just look at what cost savings they can make

After all..thats why people use Ryanair.....

I think you can apply the “cheapest” and “cost savings” to virtually everything, not just travel

 

[Mudball]

Currently fashionable for sponsors to drop when the subject is bad PR (Mickelson, Chelsea etc). Will be interesting to see if the European Tour takes action and drops DP World.

Greg Norman must be loving this. Deflecting attention away from his sponsors.

I doubt it... In the wider context, the P&O is almost not relevant to the Tour. Also it is not DP who did it. Of course things may become sligthly more heated if English and Irish golfers start making noise. But highly unlikely. Dont hold your breath on this. 3 days into the saga, it has already moved to the back pages.

 

[woofers]

Currently fashionable for sponsors to drop when the subject is bad PR (Mickelson, Chelsea etc). Will be interesting to see if the European Tour takes action and drops DP World.

Highly unlikely, DP World may be the parent company but haven’t really been highlighted as “bad boys”. Although on their website they have a governance section and a link to their Code of Ethics, which includes reference to “modern slavery“ - if £2.60 an hour isn’t modern slavery, what is?
The Tour will do nothing, they are happy to sanction events in Saudi Arabia and run their flagship Race to Dubai, the very place DP World are owned and run from.
And anyway, I suspect NO tour professional golfers use ferries.

 

[larmen]

Currently fashionable for sponsors to drop when the subject is bad PR (Mickelson, Chelsea etc). Will be interesting to see if the European Tour takes action and drops DP World.

Greg Norman must be loving this. Deflecting attention away from his sponsors.

Do they have any big contracts with businesses like Eddie Stobart or Kühne & Nagel?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Genuine question… does it matter where it is flagged. When someone joins as a crew on one of the P&O.. do they contract with the ship or the owner? For large merchant ships, I believe you are linked to the ship rather than say Mersk. But I was assuming that for a ferry service, you could be rostering as a shift and be on any boat.
Also they must be operating mostly in U.K. territorial waters rather than international… so U.K. laws apply.

Ofcourse my assumption may be wrong (not the first time). But that does not explain why only U.K. staff were fired but not the EU ones.

Clearly it must be that P&O don’t have any EU resource that they want to replace - or maybe they don’t actually have any…with all EU-based being non-EU registered or something like that ?

 

[theoneandonly]

According to the BBC, the agency staff are being paid £2.60 an hour.

The article today suggests as little as £1.81 ph

 

[greenone]

After all..thats why people use Ryanair.....

I'd rather walk/swim than give Michael O'Leary a penny.