Dover MP Natalie Elphicke – written to the Business Secretary and Transport Secretary
Following news last week that P&O Ferries will not face criminal proceedings after it sacked almost 800 workers, Dover MP Natalie Elphicke has written to the Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps urging them to ensue UK laws are strong enough to hold ‘rogue employers’ to account.
Earlier this year and without warning P&O Ferries replaced almost 800 workers with foreign agency staff.
The Insolvency Agency carried out what was described as a “full and robust” investigation into the circumstances and decided it will “not commence criminal proceedings.”
However, a civil investigation is ongoing.
Admitted breaking law
During hearings in Parliament the business admitted that it had broken the law that would have forced them to give notice of the firings.
This was because no unions would have accepted its new proposals, bosses said at the time.
Commons transport committee chairman Huw Merriman called on the Government to legislate to prevent a repeat of the scandal.
Natalie Elphicke has issued a statement saying: “I was disappointed to hear that action has not been taken so far against those in P&O Ferries who admitted that they deliberately broke the law.
“I have written to the Business Secretary and the Transport Secretary to ask them to ensure that our laws are strong enough to hold rogue employers to account.”