Ferry: the P&O company lays off 800 sailors in a video

On the English side, heavy goods vehicles are at a standstill, Thursday March 17, blocked by traffic jams for several kilometers in the port of Dover (England). On the French side, the passengers are distraught, like this London paramedic, forced to hitchhike to cross the Channel. “At the counter, a woman said to me: ‘sorry, no ferries are sailing today’he says.

The company suspended all maritime traffic and announced to lay off 800 sailors. “I regret to inform you that your employment is ending with immediate effect”we hear in the video. A quarter of employees are thus fired, but quickly replaced. A union has published a video in which temporary workers board the boat. They would be Colombians, cheaper labor for the company. P&O would no longer be profitable and recorded a loss of 120 million euros in one year, due to the pandemic, but also traffic management error. Unions and employees denounce illegal dismissals.