Following the mass redundancy and dismissal of employee workers of P&O this week the Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng and the Labour Markets minister Paul Scully, have and written to the chief executive of P&O, Peter Hebblethwaite to remind him of P&O’s legal obligation in ending staff’s employment and reminding him of the ‘appalling’ manner in which P&O sacked their staff and by not following appropriate employment practice required by law (such as trade union presence and access to employment advice) could give rise to action brought against P&O by the Government.
In his letter Mr Kwarteng MP the Business Secretary requested P&O answer the following questions in connection with the sacking of their staff:
The exact number of staff fired this week and whether any consultation was carried out in advance;
What other options were considered before deciding on making redundancy or dismissed and those options that were rejected;
The specific employee roles within P&O and the locations of those fired your business the staff you have fired work in, and the location of each dismissed worker;
What establishments the relevant workers were working at, for the purposes of section 193 [of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992]; If and to the extent P&O consider an establishment to be a ship, the place of registration of the ship and the place(s) between which the ship operates;
The number of dismissed workers were based at each establishment;
What if any material difference between the contracts of staff that have been fired and those who have not.
Alternative roles offered a those that where made redundant or similar roles on amended terms and conditions (including agency working);
She also asked what plans are in place for no similar action being considered.
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