The European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) and International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) are calling on DP World to engage in meaningful dialogue with affiliates RMT and Nautilus International about P&O Ferries’ future. The company now has serious questions to answer following the ruthless sacking of 800 seafarers at its subsidiary P&O Ferries.

ETF deplores P&O Ferries’ proposal to make 1,100 redundancies amongst key workers in Dover, Hull, Liverpool, Cairnryan and Larne including over 900 UK seafarers. We believe that any public funding received by shipping companies to address the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic should be conditional on the protection of local employment and the Collective Bargaining Agreements with the ETF’s UK affiliates for the long term.