Liverpool Council’s administration has stood squarely behind workers at the heart of the P&O Ferries dispute.
Deputy Mayor, Cllr Jane Corbett, said the authority’s executive supported the efforts of Rail, Maritime and Transport workers' Union (RMT) members who will strike later today following the sacking of 800 staff by the ferry company yesterday. The ferry company terminated the contracts of all their workers on Thursday causing outrage all over the country.
Staff were told the news in a pre-recorded video message. Three protests, planned by the RMT, will take place in Liverpool, Dover and Hull on Friday afternoon. The protest in Liverpool will take place at 1pm at the main Port of Liverpool entrance.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about travel and jobs after P&O cancellations and sacking
Cllr Corbett told this morning’s meeting of Liverpool Council’s cabinet that “no-one should be treated like that” and the authority would “do all that we can to make sure their voices are heard.” Mayor of Liverpool Joanne Anderson backed protestors on Twitter last night, and described the treatment of workers by P&O as “absolutely despicable.”
She tweeted: “We’re facing an unprecedented rise in the cost of living and @POferries finds it acceptable to do this. I support @RMTunion in their call to action and encourage others to support this workforce.”
Cllr Corbett confirmed Mayor Anderson would write to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps MP about the decision by P&O made yesterday. Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram described the mass redundancies as 'an outrageous attack on hundreds of workers'.
P&O operates a route from Liverpool to Dublin as part of four services it runs across Europe. The firm has 2,200 employees remaining in the UK and began operating ferries in the 1960s.
In a statement yesterday, the firm said it was not a viable business in its current state, following a £100m loss year on year. The company added that after "seriously considering all the available options", it took the "very difficult but necessary decision" to hand immediate severance notices to 800 seafarers.
