P&O crew sacked after docking in Larne were confronted by security staff wearing balaclavas, it emerged today.
The workers were among 800 staff made redundant by the ferry company in a move that has sparked anger across Britain and Ireland.
It is understood between 50 and 60 staff who work on the Larne to Cairnryan route and who are not agency staff are losing their jobs.
Read more: Larne staff 'escorted off vessel by private security' as 800 jobs go at P&O
Staff and unions are set to protest at the harbour tomorrow between 12pm and 3pm.
One man coming off the ferry said staff were told their redundancy would be reduced if they did not leave the vessel. He added that they found out via social media that redundancies were being announced. Crew on other P&O vessels were told via Zoom that were losing their jobs.
The firm is replacing staff across its operations with agency workers. In Larne it is believed there will be no sailings for around a week as replacement crew are trained up. The move could mean cargo including lorry loads of goods destined for local shops may be delayed or have to be diverted via Belfast on a Stena vessel.
Images from Larne today show a bus load of what appears to be security staff. It is understood private security were used at a number of locations across the UK and Ireland as staff were told they being sacked.
It is understood 800 employees were given “immediate severance notices”.
UK wide, RMT spokesperson Geoff Martin said they are “digging in for the long-haul. We are determined to fight”.
Mickey Smyth fom the Nautilus union slated the firm after it emerged that its Chief Executive had spoken to a local politician but not unions.
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.”
DUP’s East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson said he spoke to the Chief Executive of P&O expressing his “concern at the manner in which the staff, who are to be made redundant, have been treated”.
He added: “I have been assured by the company that staff will be compensated for the lack of notice of termination.
“The way in which staff were removed from the ships is totally unacceptable and is not how any employer should treat their employees.
“Despite operating purely between UK ports, P&O will now be paying third world wages to their crew. This raises serious concerns about the company’s morality.”
East Antrim MLA Gordon Lyons added: “This decision will have an impact on the wider Northern Irish economy. The company have informed us that it will be another week before ships can operate from Larne Port. Whilst customers have been directed to Belfast Port in the short term, they will not have the capacity to ramp up operations in a sufficient manner to accommodate demand.
“With over half of all our freight moving through Larne Port, this announcement will also cause supply problems for companies and supermarkets in Northern Ireland, as well as those firms based here who sell to GB.
“The Chief Executive of P&O has assured us that there will be no redundancies in the Port of Larne and that the company will be making an investment in the future to enhance the attractiveness of the Port.”
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.
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