Priti Patel axes P&O ferry deal over staff chaos and Channel Tunnel troubles
Home Secretary pulls plug on P&O ferry pact
Home Secretary Priti Patel has slammed the brakes on a key deal with ferry giant P&O. She confirmed the government has terminated its agreement for P&O to ferry staff to northern France “with immediate effect.”
Patel blasted companies that “exploit loopholes and undermine workers’ rights,” standing firmly with the Department of Transportation against shady practices.
P&O’s shocking mass sacking scandal
The ferry company made headlines in March after sacking over 800 staff overnight. Services were cancelled abruptly, stranding thousands at berkshire999.co.uk/where/dover/" title="Dover" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked">Dover and Calais.
One insider revealed workers had just “five minutes to grab their things and leave the ship.”
Natalie Elphicke, MP for Dover and Deal, called it “shabby corporate behaviour by Dubai’s DP World” and “an insult to Dover’s workforce’s decades of loyalty.”
Public outrage and protests shake Dover
Hundreds hit the streets of Dover to protest the brutal sackings. The backlash put huge pressure on P&O, which quickly announced the “biggest ever” compensation package—rumoured to include some payouts up to £170,000.
Ships grounded, but Pride of Dover back on the waves
Since the mass firing on March 17, P&O’s fleet was stuck in port as safety concerns mounted.
But the Pride of Dover is now cleared to sail between Dover and Calais after passing its safety inspection, marking a tentative return to normality for the floundering ferry firm.
