Motion text
That this House notes with concern P&O Ferries’ proposal to make 1,100 redundancies amongst key workers in Dover and Hull; further notes that this includes over 730 seafarer ratings who make up 8 per cent of the total UK workforce; offers support to the workers and families in coastal communities affected by this decision which is reminiscent of P&O’s attacks on British seafarer jobs and trade unions in the 1980s; notes that P&O has received an undisclosed figure from the taxpayer to keep freight routes from the UK running and over £10 million public funding to pay 80 per cent of the wages of 1,400 furloughed staff members, some of whom now face redundancy; believes 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 UK seafarer jobs; further notes that P&O Ferries’ parent company DP World made £1.3 billion profit last year and paid a £270 million dividend to shareholders at the end of April 2020; believes that P&O is seeking to permanently replace British crews with cheaper foreign crews using the low-cost crewing model, including on the fleet of new Ro-Ro passenger ferries on order from a Chinese shipyard for the Dover-Calais route; and calls on the Government to intervene immediately in order to save British seafarers’ jobs at P&O Ferries.
Signatures (14)
The first 6 Members who have signed to support the motion are the sponsors. The primary sponsor is generally the person who tabled the motion and has responsibility for it. The date shown is when the Member signed the motion.
Morris, Grahame
Labour
Signed on
12 May 2020
Mearns, Ian
Labour
Signed on
12 May 2020
Abbott, Ms Diane
Labour
Signed on
12 May 2020
Byrne, Ian
Labour
Signed on
12 May 2020
Barker, Paula
Labour
Signed on
13 May 2020
Hill, Mike
Labour
Signed on
13 May 2020
In addition to the sponsors, the following Members have signed to support the motion.
Tami, Mark
Labour
Signed on
13 May 2020
Stephens, Chris
Scottish National Party
Signed on
18 May 2020
Lavery, Ian
Labour
Signed on
18 May 2020
Osborne, Kate
Labour
Signed on
19 May 2020
McDonnell, John
Labour
Signed on
3 June 2020
Whitley, Mick
Labour
Signed on
6 July 2020
Lewis, Clive
Labour
Signed on
7 July 2020
Russell-Moyle, Lloyd
Labour
Signed on
15 September 2020
There are no withdrawn signatures for this motion.