Fired P&O Seafarer Compares Experience Of Ships Being Boarded ‘Like Pirates’
A seafarer who had been sacked by P&O Ferries has said how ships were stormed by security guards and “like pirates” were taken over with employees being asked to disembark right away. The former employee also described how they had been sacked after multiple teams of security guards had onboarded the vessels to block all exits. The captain had mentioned that there would be a huge announcement. However, he did not sound right.
He also added that a man in a suit read out the statement and the seafarers were asked to pack their stuff, get off the vessel and that they would be leading them to their cabins to pack up. The whole situation per the employee was unbelievable. It felt like they had been invaded by pirates.
The ex-employee named “Toby”, wanted to be anonymous. He mentioned that a new came on board the vessel after they had been thrown off at Rotterdam, left stranded.
He said that this is when the situation was close to getting violent. While the sacked seafarers were still at the front bar, the authorities started welcoming the crew – all Colombians, per the speaker.
That’s the time it almost kicked off on the ship as the crew had been reacting badly from receiving the news of being sacked. Meanwhile, the agency labour was being taken upstairs. The chef had gone upstairs to check on the staff food, and he saw that they were eating the staff food.
Toby mentioned that it felt like getting repaid by being fired on spot and being replaced immediately by slave labour.
Toby was speaking with Eamonn and Isabel on GB News in a report aired yesterday, during Breakfast.
The security was not even there to cater to their safety; it was more like the security was there to see if they vandalized the vessel like the French did when they had been sacked as they smashed up their ships On the gangway, the seafarers were asked their names and handed an envelope with the redundancy offer mentioned on it.
He added that even if he was offered the job once again, he would refuse it.
P&O has not denied that they did not offer food or even a ticket home to the seafarers and apologized. The company informed reporter Ellie Costello that owing to reasons that were outside their limits, arrangements had to be altered at the last minute.
Reference: london-post.co.uk
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