First Irish Ferries, now P&O Ferries. Does history repeat itself?



On Saturday in the northwestern port of Larne the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) carried out an inspection on board the ferry European Causeway of P&O Ferries by arranging the ship's firm having ascertained that the crew is not familiar with the conduction of the vessel and having established deficiencies in the ship's documentation and crew training. The carrying out of inspections on board P&O Ferries had been solicited by several British trade unions following a decision by the shipping company to dismiss 800 British seamen in order to replace them with foreign workers in order to reduce costs ( of the 17 and 17 March 2022)

"We are pleased," said Mark Dickinson, secretary general of RMT, one of the unions that more than others had urged the MCA to carry out these inspections-to learn this initiative from the MCA to prevent it from being European Causeway can navigate. In a critical area for security such as maritime security, the importance of a knowledgeable, well-trained and experienced crew cannot be underestimated. This is even more true for a company such as P&O Ferries for which, in addition to the risks involved in all shipping operations, there are additional pressures related to the exercise of ships carrying up to 2,000 passengers with departures that are being whispered to each other on shipping routes that are the busiest in the world. The consequences can be fatal when, in the ferries sector, commercial pressure takes precedence over security issues. "

If with the block of the European Causeway unions see one of their demands, it is likely to be very difficult for the London government, which has strongly condemned P&O Ferries ' decision to fire seafarers without warning. ( of the March 18 2022), may force the shipping company to reinstate the 800 seafarers as required by the RMT itself, summing up workers that P&O Ferries fired by violating British laws as it eventually admitted to the CEO of the company, Peter Hebblethwaite, disproving how much at first asserted by the management that he had acted in full compliance with the rules. (
It is quite likely, in fact, that beyond possible sanctions, just like those imposed on Russia by the Western bloc to condemn the invasion of Ukraine decided by Vladimir Putin, the British government will not go further : as well as gas and Russian oil is vital to the functioning of many Western economies, so line maritime services of companies such as P&O Ferries are essential to the full and effective functioning of the UK economy and its exchanges with abroad.

A precedent that suggests that Downing Strett will not go beyond the firm protest is that of the Irish Ferries, which, behaving just slightly more correct to its seafarers than P&O Ferries did, in 2005 had proposed them incentives to leave work ( of the September 19 2005). As a result of the opening up of the labour market to new European Union members implemented in May 2004 by Ireland, the United Kingdom and Sweden, in fact, Irish Ferries had announced the intention, then implemented, to change the flag to their own vessels in order to embark on foreign seafarers, placing the fleet mainly under Cypriot flag. Flag under which they currently sail some P&O Ferries vessels while others are flying the flags of the Bahamas, Finland and other nations, but not the United Kingdom. The 543-year-old Irish Ferries had proposed to leave work by accepting compensation measures or to retain their jobs, but agreed to new conditions.

The reasons given then by the CEO of Irish Ferries, Eamonn Rothwell, for this reorganization of the work are the same as expressed by the current CEO of P&O Ferries : the need to reduce the expenses to make faced by competing companies that claim charges for the most content staff and thus enable the shipping company to ensure the economic sustainability of its business. Then the reactions of the unions and the Irish government were the same : heated protest by the representatives of the workers who demanded the reinstatement of the seafarers and blame the executive for the decision of Irish Ferries. In the end, however, the Irish ride-hailing company began to operate on its own foreign aid vessels and the Dublin government provided Irish Ferries with an aid package approved by the European Union. Irish Ferries that, it is necessary to remember, if it previously carried out maritime links only between Ireland and the UK and between Ireland and France, on June 29 began operating on the Dover-Calais route by linking the UK to the France and placing itself in direct competition with P&O Ferries for this maritime service.