BORIS Johnson has been accused of delivering “half-arsed bluster and waffle” in response to calls to better protect British workers following the P&O Ferries scandal.
The Prime Minster also declared P&O Ferries appears to have “broken the law” over the mass sacking of workers - despite warnings his government may have paved the way for the widely condemned move.
Johnson told the Commons that the Government will be “taking action”, and encouraged workers to do the same.
However, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused him of “half-arsed bluster and waffle” in response to calls to better protect workers.
Johnson’s comments came as the company’s chief executive issued an apology for the impact of the decision to sack the staff without notice – claiming “all other routes” would have led to the closure of the company.
P&O chief Peter Hebblethwaite will now appear before MPs on Thursday to be questioned about the dismissals.
READ MORE: P&O ferries announce compensation package for sacked workers amid backlash
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Starmer raised the mass sacking of P&O Ferries workers, asking: “Eight hundred loyal British workers fired over Zoom, instantly replaced by foreign agency workers shipped in on less than the minimum wage. If the Prime Minister can’t stop that, what’s the point of his Government?”
Johnson replied: “We condemn the callous behaviour of P&O and I think that it is no way to treat hardworking employees and I can tell him that we will not sit by because under section 194 of the Trades Union and Labour Relations Act of 1992 it looks to me as though the company concerned has broken the law, and we will be taking action, therefore, and we will be encouraging workers themselves to take action under the 1996 Employment Rights Act.
“Both acts passed by Conservative governments and if the company is found guilty then they face fines running into millions of pounds, and in addition we will be taking steps to protect all mariners who are working in UK waters and ensure that they are all paid the living wage.”
Starmer also said workers he has spoken to are worried they could be next if P&O is allowed to “get away with it”, adding: “Why does the Prime Minister think that they will take a crumb of comfort from his half-arsed bluster and waffle today?”
Earlier a leading maritime lawyer warned a change in the law approved by former Conservative minister Chris Grayling in 2018 could mean the move by P&O Ferries was legal.
READ MORE: Staff replacing sacked P&O Ferries workers face ‘poverty pay’, RMT union claims
Kevin Barnett, head of employment at marine law specialists Lester Aldridge LLP, told Sky News that this amendment removed the need to notify the government.
"The amendment states the notification must be made to the competent authority of the state where the ship is registered, instead of the secretary of state," he told the broadcaster.
P&O appear to be relying on this legislation when it denied it had broken any laws stating: “The very clear statutory obligation in the particular circumstances that applied was for each company to notify the competent authority of the state where the vessel is registered.
”All relevant vessels are registered outside the UK. Notification was made to the relevant authorities on March 17."
However, unions say they do not believe the firm’s legal advice is right and it has breached the law by failing to consult workers.
Trades Union Congress (TUC) general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “We believe that P&O has acted unlawfully.
“It’s now clear that they deliberately flouted UK law in failing to consult with workers and their unions and sacking those 800 loyal and skilled seafarers.”
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon tells P&O boss of her 'disgust' at redundancies
In the statement issued today, P&O Ferries chief Peter Hebblethwaite said: “I want to say sorry to the people affected and their families for the impact it’s had on them, and also to the 2200 people who still work for P&O and will have been asked a lot of difficult questions about this.
“Over the last week, I’ve been speaking face-to-face to seafarers and their partners. They’ve lost their jobs and there is anger and shock, and I completely understand.
“We needed fundamental change to make us viable. This was an incredibly difficult decision that we wrestled with but once we knew it was the only way to save the business, we had to act.
“All other routes led to the closure of P&O Ferries. I wish there was another way and I’m sorry.”
The under-fire boss will appear before a joint Transport and Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee hearing on Thursday.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel