Hundreds of P&O crew are being made redundant, it was announced today.
And as around 800 workers are told they are to lose their jobs there are also fears for the future of Larne Harbour which is reportedly owned by P&O.
There were reports today that ferry staff have been escorted off a vessel at Larne by a private security firm. It is understood 800 employees across the UK and Ireland have been given “immediate severance notices” amid reports that they will be replaced by agency staff.
Read more: P&O Ferries says they're 'not going into liquidation' amid ongoing delays at ports
UK wide, RMT spokesperson Geoff Martin said they are “digging in for the long-haul. We are determined to fight”.
In a statement issued on Thursday afternoon, the firm said they “have today announced a programme of work to become a more competitive and efficient operator, providing a better service to our customers across the tourism and freight industries”.
They added: “While we enact these changes, there will be significant disruption across P&O Ferries services over the next few days, however we are working to minimise the impact on your journey.”
They tweeted that people travelling on the Larne to Cairnryan route: “Where possible we are organising travel via an alternative operator. Space is very limited so we would suggest if your journey is not essential, please do not travel today. We apologise for any inconvenience.”
P&O Ferries, which transports passengers and freight, is owned by Dubai-based logistics giant DP World.
It said it has made a £100m loss year-on-year, which has been covered by DP, but this is not sustainable and in its current state "P&O Ferries is not a viable business".
Alliance East Antrim MLA Stewart Dickson accused P&O of “draconian measures to remove staff”, adding that there “appears to have been no consultation done with staff or unions over this move”.
He added: “Given P&O owns Larne Harbour, urgent questions now need asked as to the potentially vast impact locally. I am calling on the Department for the Economy to engage immediately with P&O over the future of the harbour and any potential ramifications for it.”
Ulster Unionist MLA John Stewart MLA said: “With the Port of Larne being owned by P&O through its Dubai-based parent company, and with the only ferry services currently operating from Larne being P&O Ferries, we are in a very uncertain and precarious situation indeed.
“There are worrying rumours of all on-board staff being made redundant and replaced with agency staff and P&O need to make a clear public statement as a matter of urgency. The staff need to be told what is going on and whether P&O have any long or short term commitment to Larne.”
P&O Ferries, which transports passengers and freight, has nearly 4,000 employees.
It operates four routes: Dover to Calais; Hull to Rotterdam; Liverpool to Dublin; and Cairnryan, Scotland, to Larne, Northern Ireland.
Sailings between Hull and Zeebrugge, Belgium, were axed in January 2021.
The firm was bought by Dubai-based logistics giant DP World for £322 million in 2019.
DP World was criticised for paying a £270 million dividend to shareholders at the end of April 2020 while P&O Ferries proposed to cut around 1,100 jobs as demand for travel collapsed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The ferry operator sought a £150 million bailout from the Government, but no offer was made.
Read more: St Patrick's Day Derry 2022: Road closures and diversions for parade and events
Read more: East Belfast housing schemes get go-ahead at City Hall
To get the latest breaking news straight to your inbox, sign up to our free newsletter.
