P&O job losses devastating blow for Dover, local MP says

The announcement of 600 redundancies at P&O Ferries in Dover has been described as a "devastating blow" by town's MP.

Natalie Elphicke said the job losses on the Dover to Calais route, amounted to a U-turn on assurances given to her previously.

Frank Macklin from the GMB union said: "This is the nail in the coffin for the British seafarer."

A statement from P&O Ferries said the company was not a viable business in its current state.

The ferry company followed the announcement of the sacking of 800 staff across the country with a statement saying it was replacing them with cheaper agency staff.

Footage obtained by BBC South East showed the moment P&O staff in Dover were told the news.

Ms Elphicke, who has been Dover's MP since 2019, said: "It's absolutely disgraceful the way the workers were told, without having a proper consultation or going through the usual processes."

Dozens of employees gathered outside the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) office in Dover on Thursday afternoon.

A former worker, aged 54, who has worked in ferry engine rooms since the 1980s, said: "I'm fuming - to be honest with you. I've known people who've been with the firm for years - this is no way to treat people.

"It was just a short message this morning saying you've all lost a job. Basically - all this service for nothing."

Police intervened after P&O workers blocked a road leading to the Port of Dover.

Dozens of employees held banners and flags saying "Stop the P&O jobs carve up".

It came after buses carrying agency workers hired to replace them appeared to arrive at the port.

Sara Smith, BBC South East, Dover

In the town there is shock, not just at what's been done, but the way it's been done.

One woman who used to work for P&O but left the company - her own choice - a few years ago was on her way to meet her former colleagues.

She wept as she explained how the crew were like family and how many, like her own brother with a new baby, would be fearing for their futures.

In a local pub, while some were doing their best to enjoy Saint Patrick's Day complete with their Guinness hats, for most the news coming from the docks was all they could think about.

At a bar, the owner said he was sure it would have a knock on effect on the town as a whole - a town where everyone knows someone who works on the ferries.

Trevor Bartlett, Leader of Dover District Council said: "It has come really out of the blue. It's a bitter blow to us all."

In peak season the Dover-based company operates 15 daily sailings to Calais, but it was badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In May 2020 P&O said it would be making 614 cross-Channel staff redundant.

The company on Thursday announced there would be no ferries out of Dover for the next few days.

Long queues have formed on the A20 trying to access the port.

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