Unions protested at British ports Friday, demanding the government step in to save jobs and protect key trade routes after major ferry operator P&O Ferries fired 800 U.K. crew members to replace them with cheaper contract staff.
P&O has canceled all its ferry crossings between Britain and continental Europe, threatening to disrupt the movement of travelers and goods across the English Channel and North Sea for days.
During a Conservative party meeting in Blackpool, northwest England, Shapps said he was "looking at whether there are contracts the government might have with P&O" that could be used to pressure the company. "We don't believe this was the case for P&O staff, but we are looking into this very carefully," said Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman, Max Blain.The company's drastic action could cause wider economic disruption. The company canceled ferry crossings on routes linking England to Ireland, Northern Ireland the Netherlands and France, including the cross-Channel Dover-Calais route that carries a large chunk of U.K.-Europe passengers and freight.
P&O said it had no choice but to cut costs after the pandemic hammered its finances, leading it to post a 100 million pound loss last year. "Contrary to rumors, none of our people wore balaclavas nor were they directed to use handcuffs nor force," the company said in a statement. Two unions representing P&O staff, Nautilus International and RMT, said they were preparing legal action against the company.
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