The price of breaking the law: the saga of the P&O Ferries redundancies

On 17 March 2022 P&O Ferries (P&O) made 786 seafarers redundant, prompting the outrage of employees, unions, lawyers, politicians and the general public. P&O stated that these redundancies were necessary as part of a change to its crewing model, to make the business viable. This article will focus on employment law issues concerning British law, unfair dismissal, consultation for redundancies, and the notification of relevant authorities regarding large-scale redundancies.

The seafarers were employed by P&O under Jersey law, and the ships on which they were working were registered in Cyprus, Bermuda, and Barbados. Many of these seafarers were British nationals, and most were resident in Great Britain. Therefore the issue becomes whether British employment law provides them with the desired protection.