"‘Humiliated’ P&O staff ‘treated like criminals and given bin bags for belongings’ after 800 workers sacked", 20 March 2022

P&O Ferries employees claim they were “treated like criminals” by security after they were told of their redundancies and forced off vessels...

Following the news, staff were reportedly given just two hours to pack their belongings into bin bags under the watchful eye of security in case they were to steal anything.

“There were guards at duty free as if we were going to burgle it,” a worker told BBC.

“They thought we were going to go in and help ourselves, which we wouldn’t have done.

“There were security staff on the vessel who were obnoxious and rude and treated us really like criminals to be honest, the sort you’d see in a borstal, probably. It wasn’t pleasant.”

A video has since emerged showing security men in high-vis jackets speaking to the sacked seafarers following their dismissal.

In the footage, a man can be heard saying: “I think two hours would be a reasonable time for you to pack your stuff and be ready to leave.”

The stunned workers express their need to talk to a union, and then ask what would happen after this, and if they would be forcibly removed from the boat.

“We’re allowing you a reasonable time. I’m giving you a reasonable amount of time. You’ve got two hours,” the man responds.

A stewardess who has worked for P&O Ferries for almost two decades described the experience as “humiliating”...

The company said security staff that escorted the seafarers off the vessels were “totally professional in handling this difficult task with all appropriate sensitivity”.

The firm did acknowledge that the sackings “came without warning or prior consultation”, adding: “We fully understand that this has caused distress for them and their families.”

[...]