Coronavirus: Dover P&O Ferries worker, from Hythe, protests at redundancies despite Chancellor's offer to protect jobs
16:04, 23 March 2020
updated: 11:52, 24 March 2020
A ferry worker was made redundant just 15 days after he was hired.
The P&O Ferries employee, who did not want to be named, believes it was because of the coronavirus crisis, which is crippling the economy.
The former assistant steward, 60, who lives in Hythe, had been working on the Dover-Calais route.
He lost his job on Saturday morning and has heard this happened to all other fixed term contract staff, about 40 in all.
He told Kent Online: "I was at home and getting ready to go to Dover for nine-hour shift when the company rang me.
"They said that unfortunately due to the present circumstances all fixed term staff would have to go.
"It was with immediate effect so I was told not to even bother coming into work that day.
"I don't understand why P&O did this when they had spent all that time and money training us.
"This happened the day after the government's announcement that jobs would be protected.
"I am shocked that P&O could behave this way.
"Apart from the moral issues of sacking staff during a crisis, it doesn't make sense given the government's financial support for business to protect against this very measure."
The worker believes that he was dismissed because business in car passenger travel had been affected by COVID-19 where people are being told not to travel and to observe social distance.
He was given one week's pay in lieu of notice.
The worker had left his job in the travel industry to join P&O Ferris and was put on a fixed term contract from March to September.
He was told he would be able to continue working for the company after that.
He is married and his wife has also lost work as a self-employed chef because of the economic havoc caused by the disease.
They have no dependent children and have paid off their mortgage.
He said: "That is the one saving grace but I am worried about finding another job because of my age."
Last Friday Chancellor Rishi Sunak had announced that the government would pay up to 80% of wages for employees not working.
This was to save companies laying workers off during the crisis.
A P&O Ferries spokesman said: "Before the government announced its proposals on Friday, we spoke with a small number of employees who had been engaged on short-term contracts to help with peak season demand.
"We explained to them and the unions that we were giving contractual notice.
"We are currently reviewing the Government’s proposals and have no plans to make any further staffing announcements until the details are clear."
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