By P&O has ‘gotten away with it’ say Unions
Unions have claimed that the government have failed to hold P&O to account for the recent mass-sackings.
A spokesman for the Nautilus Union said: “P&O has gotten away with it. There’s no fine, there’s no legal action, there’s only words and hot air.”
Several have said that the authorities involved have ‘back-tracked’ on their proposed course of action.
At least 40 members of P&O Ferries staff were offered a £100,000 compensation package.
In total, £36.5m has been offered to all 800 redundant staff.
The company said no employee would receive less than £15,000.
According to reports, all but one employee have accepted the payoff by the deadline on Thursday.
But Mick Lynch, General Secretary of the RMT union, said “pay in lieu of notice is not compensation”.
“These are the actions of a bully trying to maximise profits by sacking workers and replacing them with agency staff below the minimum wage,” he said.
“The pay in lieu of notice is not compensation, it is just a payment staff are contractually entitled to as there was no notice given.
“The way that the package has been structured is pure blackmail and threats.”
A spokesman for RMT members suggested workers “had a gun to their head” to accept the severance package.
Boris Johnson told parliament: “We will take them to court, we will defend the rights of British workers.”
Yet the transport secretary admitted that the Government “Are not in a position to take court action.”
Mick Lynch, the general secretary of the RMT, said: “They have said they will take legal action against P&O and we’re holding them to it”.
It seems the Government are relying on individual ports to enforce such rules, the British Port Association said this could “place ports in a difficult legal predicament”.
Updates to follow.
