P&O Ferries sack staff

[BillyStubbsTears]

By the way. You ALWAYS vote for the least bad option. Because all of politics and all politicians are flawed. As I say, it's childish to expect perfection in all things from any politician. There is ALWAYS something to disagree with and dislike about any politician. Or any human being for that matter.

[wilts rover]

I see, so its not a case that we hold all our political leaders to the highest standards of integrity and decency just the ones we don't particularly like.

This starts to build a picture of a leader who fronts up as one thing but is very adapt at being something else. When we take what we know about the labour leader and add his past history as DPP we start to see someone who competence in the role looks like something that is desirable if not essential.

Still if were voting for the last bad then everything will be rosy.

The current PM has been sacked twice for lying and was recorded on tape conspiring with an old school friend to beat up a journalist. He then won a landslide majority at the last election.

It seems 'holding our political leaders to the highest standards of decency and integrity' is not that high up on the agenda of the majority of British voters. Unless they can use it to attack the Labour leader (whoever it is).

I can't say I am all that thrilled by Starmer's policies or leadership style, but as far as I understand he (or actually the people who run Labour head office) have worked with the unions throughout the redundancy process. So it has been done properly. Maybe if they courted a few more oligarch donors then they wouldn't have the financial issues they have.

[danumdon]

I do believe we all agree that the current iPM is a dead loss and nobody in their right mind would stand up for his actions.

But this does pose the question, just what do the public think of the opposition when they would rather vote in such an abomination as Johnson.

If the Labour Party cannot stop it’s infighting, select an electable leader and present some coherent and plausible policy’s then just what is the point of them as an official opposition when they enable an individual like Johnson to preside Scot frree.

In this situation least bad is no choice at all.

[BillyStubbsTears]

DD
Do you really think Starmer's and Johnson's failings are comparable?

[SydneyRover]

I do believe we all agree that the current iPM is a dead loss and nobody in their right mind would stand up for his actions.

But this does pose the question, just what do the public think of the opposition when they would rather vote in such an abomination as Johnson.

If the Labour Party cannot stop it’s infighting, select an electable leader and present some coherent and plausible policy’s then just what is the point of them as an official opposition when they enable an individual like Johnson to preside Scot frree.

In this situation least bad is no choice at all.

And of course the worst traits of his personality were well know to everyone before the election, through through election and post election but there remains fairly large cohort that give him their support either directly or indirectly.

By the way did you open the link kindly provided by Albie, was there any detail within, any more than allegations?

[SydneyRover]

I know it's hard to keep up but here is a run down on the lebedev-johnson love in and of course the ownership of two London papers which is apparently 'inconsequential'

''THE JOHNSON-LEBEDEV LETTERS A Back-Channel to Vladimir Putin?''

Stick with it, it's very interesting.

https://bylinetimes.com/2022/03/12/boris-johnson-evgeny-lebedev-russia-ukraine-kgb-evening-standard/

[albie]

Syd,

Just to be clear, are you saying that recruiting staff on temporary contracts, with reduced terms and conditions, to replace proper union staff posts is an OK thing for Labour to do?

Still struggling to see why this is all right, but P&O is not,,,,surely both are wrong!

[danumdon]

Syd,

Just to be clear, are you saying that recruiting staff on temporary contracts, with reduced terms and conditions, to replace proper union staff posts is an OK thing for Labour to do?

Still struggling to see why this is all right, but P&O is not,,,,surely both are wrong!

Im betting big bucks that the emigrant somhow will again manage to sway this thread around to his love in with Johnson and away from your reply.

Just a wild stab in the dark here!

[SydneyRover]

Syd,

Just to be clear, are you saying that recruiting staff on temporary contracts, with reduced terms and conditions, to replace proper union staff posts is an OK thing for Labour to do?

Still struggling to see why this is all right, but P&O is not,,,,surely both are wrong!

No I'm not saying it's right, but the proof of what PO have done is there for all to see, show me what labour have actually done.

[SydneyRover]

Yes Syd, I do understand that Labour have acted unlawfully in relation to staff and must face the consequences, expensive as that will prove.

Keith is not in a position to criticise fire and rehire when he has been doing precisely that in his own party. This is one of the reasons for trade unions to reduce financial support.

The matter is covered in many publications, including those of the Labour Party such as Labour List.

The Independent article is included as a summary, and the ownership of that publication is nothing to the point. None of the content is disputed, is it?

I had a quick look around albie to see if anyone else had covered the story that you posted about.
Clearly it isn’t a one trick pony by the Independant and there is no defence for the double standards.
It can only be defended by people wearing blinkers.

Or this

[rich1471]

The boss of P&O has declined to answer and say if he will receive a bonus this year

[wilts rover]

The boss of P&O has declined to answer and say if he will receive a bonus this year

He should have declined to answer all the questions given by the snippets on the radio, what a disaster. How anyone would ever use P&O again after that performance - words fail me.

Be very interesting to see if the government do follow through and take them to court, as Johnson promised.

[drfchound]

Wilts, people will still use them, especially if their prices are attractive.
It is human nature.

[danumdon]

Wilts, people will still use them, especially if their prices are attractive.
It is human nature.

I'm sure the french boats will have this in mind and try to undercut them.

Ill be sure to fly or train it over than use P&O or the frogs.

The competition will be good for these shysters.

[BillyStubbsTears]

I have a credit note with P&O that has been held over since we had a service cancelled in the first  COVID summer. It's basically a free sailing. But there's no way I'm using their services. Not now. Not ever. Not even if it is a free pass. I'll write and tell them

[ravenrover]

Brittany Ferries or Tunnel for me

[SydneyRover]

tragi-funny

P&O Ferries boss Peter Hebblethwaite urged to resign by Grant Shapps

[Donnywolf]

Yes ... Shapps outraged at the brazen way P&O CEO broke the law and said he should resign immediately (poured loads of scorn on him etc)

However what he tries to forget , when elected as an MP the Rules or Law forbade them to have a 2nd job but Shapps had a 2nd job and did not want to give it up

He took his efforts to keep the second job secret by using second identities and Michael Green and Sebastian Fox were 2 of them

However a Constituent grassed him up but could not prove it and Shapps almost ruined the Constituent and made his Solicitors make the bloke apologise in Papers . They even wrote the letter for him so it matched exactly what Shapps wanted it to say even though they knew the accuser was 100% right.

Then Shapps was rumbled when he posed as Michael Green wearing a Badge with Michael Green on it. He was outed and when challenged on Telly he stormed off but later said " he was ONLY guilty of over firmly denying he had a second job " NOT that he was a lying law breaking git

He gave up the second job and later became Conservative Party Chairman and currently is Sec of State for Transport where he has just called for the CEO law breaker at P&O to resign or be sacked

Hypocrite !

I still don't know what became of the truth telling constituent.

[BillyStubbsTears]

It truly is a sign of the times that a con man and a bully like Shapps is in the Cabinet.

I wonder how many of the "All politicians are the same" mob could name a senior figure in any other party who set up a company under a false name, taking money from people for get-rich-quick tips that included advice on how to plagiarise others' work and how to set up pyramid schemes. Then didn't declare this in the Commons Register of Interests. Then threatened punitive legal action against a constituent who smoked him out.

But yeah. They are all the same, these politicians.

[Donnywolf]

He's a vile character as a Politician and I tweeted again today how he's been on Telly hundreds of times sat in his staged room

He has his 2 flags of course but today he added a Ukraine one

He always has his Red Despatch Box on his desk like we don't know he's a SInister (sic) and it's always open to demonstrate "he's working"

Then there is always a Book facing the Camera with Grant Shapps written large on the cover

The first 2 are pathetic and laughable .... The 3rd is only to remind HIM who he is

I think I despise him more than Pinocchio Johnson (as Politicians as I don't know them personally of course)

[danumdon]

It truly is a sign of the times that a con man and a bully like Shapps is in the Cabinet.

I wonder how many of the "All politicians are the same" mob could name a senior figure in any other party who set up a company under a false name, taking money from people for get-rich-quick tips that included advice on how to plagiarise others' work and how to set up pyramid schemes. Then didn't declare this in the Commons Register of Interests. Then threatened punitive legal action against a constituent who smoked him out.

But yeah. They are all the same, these politicians.

Grant Shapps is a proper nasty weasel of a man and unfortunately a shining example of the makeup of Johnson's cabinet. He typifies failing MP's that always manage to find themselves back in a job which they can never hope to achieve any great distinction in, this government is full to the brim of these types.

I do have an anecdote of a Labour minister who managed to rip of the state with his bogus mortgage payments and did a spell inside for his trouble. Mr E Morley who had the brazen face to come and open a new depot office of ours in Scunthorpe, all happy and smiling, telling us how times where hard for him, us and his party but they would struggle on and make it better for everyone whilst all the time he was on the fiddle with his bogus claims for a mortgage that had been long payed off.

Not as striking an example as the god awful Shapps and lots of MP's from both sides did even worse than this but to me it felt like he conned us into believing he was an honest and regular guy.It's not so bad to you personally when you don't really know them like Shapps but when you are passing the time of day with them it feels personal and he's taking the pi*s.

PS, we stuck his opening nameplate in the skip.

[BillyStubbsTears]

DD.
You'll doubtless be aware that the odious Morley was suspended by the Labour party as soon as the news of his alleged (at the time - proven later) theft came to light. And he was pressures into stepping down at the next election.

Compare and contrast with Shapps's career trajectory AFTER his time as a con man and an attempted bully.

[SydneyRover]

And of course we learn that Shapps was actually told of imminent restructuring last November.

800 jobs lost to the UK, permanently, unlikely anything will be done to save that bit.

[wilts rover]

What he said:

We will not sit by, because under section 194 of the Trade 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.

We will take them to court, we will defend the rights of British workers.

P&O plainly aren’t going to get away with it any more than any other company that treat its employees in that scandalous way

Alexander de Pfeffell Johnson at PMQ's 23rd March 2022


What they did:

The government are not in a position to take court action.

Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary in HoC 30th March 2022 in answer to a question by Labour as to why the government were not doing what Johnson had promised they would.

https://twitter.com/ITVJoel/status/1509168095402897410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

[SydneyRover]

Do we know why the government is not in a position to take action? are P&O using the fact that they discussed it with Schatts more than 3 months ago?

Next to come will be that the government are not going to enforce minimum wages on ships in British ports.

[drfchound]

Do we know why the government is not in a position to take action? are P&O using the fact that they discussed it with Schatts more than 3 months ago?

Next to come will be that the government are not going to enforce minimum wages on ships in British ports.

Serious question for anyone who might know:
Can the government enforce minimum wage payments on ships that are not registered here.

[SydneyRover]

Correction:

why would a minister say this if it wasn't possible?

''UK to block ferries that don't pay seafarers a minimum wage
Transport secretary seeks disqualification of controversial P&O Ferries chief executive and instructs ports to refuse access to ferry companies that pay below the land jobs threshold''

[SydneyRover]

With almost universal condemnation of the sackings across parliament and Sunak chiming in too, the government will almost certainly bring in urgent legislation to prevent it happening again and to heavily sanction P&O for their actions.

As quickly as the government acted on second jobs for MPs I guess

And here it is, not hard to predict at all ............

''Government dropping employment bill would ‘betray’ workers, says TUC
Unions have been pressing for promised bill to be brought forward after sacking of hundreds of P&O staff''

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/apr/01/government-dropping-employment-bill-would-betray-workers-says-tuc

tory playbook kick it down the road as far as you can

[wilts rover]

Do we know why the government is not in a position to take action? are P&O using the fact that they discussed it with Schatts more than 3 months ago?

Next to come will be that the government are not going to enforce minimum wages on ships in British ports.

Serious question for anyone who might know:
Can the government enforce minimum wage payments on ships that are not registered here.

Isn't that why people voted for Brexit - so they could take back sovereignty and be goverened by laws the UK Parliament make?

Maybe at the next election they will hold them to account for the ones they dont make.

Although I suggest there might be different clauses for international freight or cruise ships, docking irreguarly, and a daily ferry service.

[drfchound]

Do we know why the government is not in a position to take action? are P&O using the fact that they discussed it with Schatts more than 3 months ago?

Next to come will be that the government are not going to enforce minimum wages on ships in British ports.

Serious question for anyone who might know:
Can the government enforce minimum wage payments on ships that are not registered here.

Isn't that why people voted for Brexit - so they could take back sovereignty and be goverened by laws the UK Parliament make?

Maybe at the next election they will hold them to account for the ones they dont make.

Although I suggest there might be different clauses for international freight or cruise ships, docking irreguarly, and a daily ferry service.

I’m not sure that most people who voted for Brexit gave a second thought to what might be the case with wages for workers coming here on a foreign registered ship wilts.