P & O Ferries

A2Z

A2Z

Soldato
Joined
9 May 2005
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Earth
I wonder if I could contest it on my credit card, but doubt I’ll get the money back (I doubt it’d be successful anyway) in time so a bit catch 22.
Why not? I had to request a chargeback a few weeks ago on my credit card as I only received about 60% of a refund I was due on a cancelled flight (total price was £80, its about the principle), and after a month of asking for the rest they just kept saying I need to wait.

Got the money back in my cc literally the next day, while the bank investigates. Heard nothing since, and don't expect to. You will get your money back no problem, then let the bank do whatever they need to do.
 
Soldato
Joined
8 Nov 2006
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22,979
Location
London
Apparently trade unions are calling for state ownership of a business losing £100m a year.

If I was P&O ferries if not too late I'd be half tempted to retract all redundancy. Then just go into administration as it's only investment from the owners currently keeping it afloat. This will unfortunately harm the 2,200 people that are still employed.

Then the company can restructure without all this politics. No one will criticise the administrators for firing everyone and selling the business to the highest bidders, who will obviously require it to be run with lower costs as otherwise the business is worth zero.
 
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Soldato
Joined
9 Mar 2003
Posts
14,235
The banking sector is simply to big and important to fail, it would literally kill the economy. Hence why we now have things like FSCS etc but if all the major banks failed at the same time again, they would need to be propped up by the state.

P&O just isn’t and this is a completely different circumstance where someone else could buy up the viable parts of the business and continue to operate it.
 
Soldato
Joined
9 Mar 2003
Posts
14,235
I didn’t say it wasn’t important, it is and has a big knock on effect to trade with the EU and tourism but even if the state bought them out, it wouldn’t get it going any time soon. They would still have to be rectified and you can bet many if the staff wouldn’t come back.
 
Soldato
Joined
20 Oct 2004
Posts
13,059
Location
Nottingham
Why would our government be interested in a ferry company when they could get the same service from a pizza delivery company*

* Or one that stole it's T+C from a pizza delivery company at least.
 
Soldato
Joined
8 Nov 2006
Posts
22,979
Location
London
The bailing out of the banking sector to the tune of billions of pounds was okay though?

Yeh they should bail all companies out when they go bankrupt.

There are plenty of ferry services, they aren't all going bust. I'm sure they would also buy the shell of the business and increase services. You can bet they won't be offering the same level of wages.

Also banks are actually worth money when the dust settles. In the US the government made an overall profit bailing banks out. In the UK its a small loss given the amount if money that was given in capital and loans.

P&O Ferries is worth nothing today and will be worth nothing in 5 years when it is still losing £100m a year because one of the problems is an inflated wage bill.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
3,595
It is a shame to see what P&O have done to the crews and the company. My family used to frequently travel with them but the days of £5 day trips or £25 3 day trips with some newspaper vouchers are long gone along with the 20 minute check ins and bringing home as much as the car could carry!

I came across a post from someone from who stated that original crews were scheduled to work 12 hour days with a week on and week off from work. Around 2009 P&O wanted to change it to 2 weeks on 2 weeks off and a study was done showing a risk of additional fatigue due to the work and rest environment. They went on to say the new crew were on 17 week contracts, scheduled for 12 hour days (which could be longer) with no rest period (or shore leave) It seems to me this is an extra risk again. Bear in mind this in the same company that as Townsend Thorsen had the Herald of Free Enterprise accident part of which was as a crew member was asleep.

The only reference I have to the fatigue study is on the union website https://www.nautilusint.org/en/news...lammed-for-driving-down-terms-and-conditions/
 
Associate
Joined
30 Sep 2008
Posts
2,035
Seen some crazy shifts in my time, my old job from years back did an insane week 1. 07:00 start, week 2 07:30 start, week 3 08:00 start, week 4 08:30 start, etc all the way to 22:00. Just when you thought it couldn't get anymore ridiculous they asked for split shift 4 hours on, go home for 3 hours come back for another 4 later in day. Was laughable. Hundreds of people walked over the months.

Doesn't matter the human cost, only that the company remains profitable and value to shareholders, although sometimes they get caught out (looks at Boeing).
 
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Caporegime
Joined
1 Dec 2010
Posts
52,309
Location
Welling, London
So DP world sacks 800 ferry workers to replace with agency staff, the government is up in arms condemning them, cancelling their contract with P&O, drag the boss up the commons committee, who admits they broke employment law and Grant Schapps promises to change the law so it can’t happen again.

Seems like that’s all been forgotten though as DP World have just been awarded a nice shiny new contract by the same government to run the new Thames Freeport that’s being built. Absolutely incredulous.

 
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Soldato
Joined
27 Nov 2005
Posts
24,697
Location
Guernsey
So DP world sacks 800 ferry workers to replace with agency staff, the government is up in arms condemning them, cancelling their contract with P&O, drag the boss up the commons committee, who admits they broke employment law and Grant Schapps promises to change the law so it can’t happen again.

Seems like that’s all been forgotten though as DP World have just been awarded a nice shiny new contract by the same government to run the new Thames Freeport that’s being built. Absolutely incredulous.

I guess they thought we all forgot.


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