London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

P&O Ferries: Protests at ports against sackings

P&O Ferries: Protests at ports against sackings

Protests have taken place at ports over P&O Ferries' sacking of 800 workers in favour of lower-paid replacements.

Unions rallied at Dover, Hull and Liverpool, chanting slogans such as "seize the ship". Protests caused disruptions, and vehicles in Hull were at one stage turned away.

It comes after authorities detained P&O Ferries' European Causeway in Northern Ireland, saying it was "unfit to sail".

P&O Ferries said it would make changes to return the ship to service.

Unions have said that crews without experience of the vessels are a danger to shipping.

In Hull, protestors from the RMT union at one stage attempted to block access to P&O ferry the Pride of Rotterdam at the city's King George Dock. They want customers to boycott the company.

BBC correspondent Paul Murphy, at the scene, said picketers at one stage turned away cars and lorries attempting to board Saturday's 20:30 GMT sailing.

However, the Pride of Rotterdam ferry left Hull on schedule for The Netherlands.

Earlier, the Trades Union Congress had tweeted a video it said showed P&O dockers in Rotterdam refusing to load freight onto a ferry set for Hull in solidarity with sacked workers.

Niek Stam, general secretary of the Docker Workers' Union in Rotterdam, told the BBC Radio 4's PM programme they hoped the protests would make "P&O come back to the table", adding "what they have done is outrageous".

Mr Stam said: "We believe in solidarity, and we will punish every employer who refuses to consult unions."

He added that the protests will carry on in the coming days "if it is necessary".

Protests have been held across the UK and Ireland since P&O Ferries announced they were firing 800 members of staff on 17 March


Unions have raised fears over a lack of training of new crew, after the firm replaced their members with agency workers whose average hourly rate of pay would be £5.50 - less than the UK minimum wage.

As the company's ships operate internationally and are registered overseas, the UK minimum hourly rate of £8.91 does not apply.

The company has said it had to replace crews as it was losing £100m a year, and would not be a viable business without making the changes.

P&O Ferries boss Peter Hebblethwaite admitted to MPs on Friday that the decision to sack 800 workers without notice broke the law.

He said there was "absolutely no doubt" that under UK employment law the firm was required to consult unions before making the mass cuts.

But Mr Hebblethwaite said no union would have accepted the plan and it was easier to compensate workers "in full" instead.

At Saturday's Dover protest, RMT union national secretary Darren Procter said: "Bringing a crew on board a vessel they're not familiar with to sail across the busiest shipping lane in the world, carrying passengers, is going to be a dangerous act."

He said the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) should detain every P&O Ferries vessel around the UK, on the basis they are not fit to sail.

This was the scene in Dover, where protesters condemned the dismissal of P&O workers


On Saturday, the MCA said the European Causeway had been impounded in Larne over "failures on crew familiarisation, vessel documentation and crew training".

No passengers or freight were aboard, it said, adding that the vessel would remain under detention until all issues were resolved by P&O Ferries.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps wrote on social media that the ship's detention had followed an instruction from him to the MCA to inspect "all P&O vessels" before they entered back into service.

"I will not compromise the safety of these vessels, and P&O will not be able to rush inexperienced crew through training," he added.


P&O Ferries said it would review the findings of the MCA's inspection, "make any changes required and continue to work closely with the MCA to return the ship to service".

The company's services on the route the ferry sails - from Larne to Cairnryan, in Scotland - are currently suspended.

'Not sustainable'


Seamus Leheny, of freight industry body Logistics UK, said rival ferry operator Stena had increased capacity through Belfast by 50% but the situation at Larne was still causing difficulties for businesses.

"It's not sustainable to have so much freight coming through Belfast... we want that Larne service back up and running as soon as possible," he added.

P&O Ferries services between Dover and Calais remain cancelled. The firm said it would organise an alternative carrier for passengers.


Saturday evening's service from Rotterdam to Hull is also suspended, the firm said - but services between Dublin and Liverpool are expected to run as usual.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
×