New law ‘is necessary’ after P&O jobs scandal

THE GOVERNMENT needs to bring forward new employment law to prevent another “sacking by ambush” like the P&O Ferries scandal, ministers have been warned.

Peers also told the Government that a new Employment Bill is needed to protect workers from risk of surveillance by new technologies.

Calls to bring forward the Employment Bill promised in the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto come after reports that the legislation could be dropped from the forthcoming Queen’s Speech.

Labour peer Lord Hendy said the Bill “couldn’t be more topical”, telling peers: “Our employment laws failed utterly to protect the jobs, incomes and careers of 800 P&O seafarers, sacked without consultation or warning and marched off their ships by security guards.”

The barrister and employment law expert called on the Government to explain why proposals set out in response to the P&O scandal did not include a tightening of the law to “prevent repetition of such sacking by ambush”.

He asked: “Is it connected with the reports that the proposal for an Employment Bill in the forthcoming Queen’s speech was overruled last week by the Prime Minister?”

Business Minister Lord Callanan replied: “On the P&O issue the BEIS Secretary of State (Kwasi Kwarteng) has formally commissioned the insolvency service to urgently undertake a thorough inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the recent redundancies made by P&O Ferries that he referred to. We will not hesitate to take further action if we find evidence of wrongdoing and he will know that the Secretary of State for Transport (Grant Shapps) has also committed to applying the national minimum wage for seafarers.”

A FORMER P&O Ferries chef is reportedly suing the company for unfair dismissal, racial discrimination and harassment.

John Lansdown has filed a tribunal claim against the company and its chief executive, most of whose ferry services remain suspended, and is seeking compensation and damages of up to £76m.

P&O Ferries said the job cuts were “categorically not based on race or the nationality of the staff involved”, in a statement carried by the BBC. Mr Lansdown said the action was about the “bigger picture”.

“This is not just about me. Seven hundred and ninety nine of my seafaring family have lost their livelihoods, their way of life, their homes for half the year,” he said.

It comes as students from Leeds University, who had booked a week’s holiday in Rimini, Italy, through Leeds travel firm Ilovetour, were told it had been cancelled at the last minute, due to the “ongoing P&O situation”.

One mother, who didn’t want to be named said: “There will be a lot of disappointed students. I just hope we get a full refund.”

Meanwhile unions are calling for enforcement powers to be “significantly beefed up” to ensure ferry companies do pay the minimum wage to crews.

The TUC said only new legislation which improves worker protections will prevent another P&O-style scandal, following reports that the long-awaited Employment Bill will not be included in next month’s Queen’s Speech. General secretary Frances O’Grady said extra inspectors were needed, adding: “They (Ministers) should force ferry operators to sign an agreement with unions to ensure pay is well above the minimum wage.

“If ministers fail to deliver the Employment Bill again, they will be toadying up to bad bosses.”