A backlash against P&O Ferries is growing after the firm sacked 800 staff without giving them any notice. The government said it would review its contracts with P&O Ferries after it fired its employees, planning to replace them with cheaper agency staff. P&O said it was a "tough" decision but it would "not be a viable business" without the changes. Nearly a quarter of P&O Ferries' staff were told via a video message on Thursday that it was their "final day of employment". Sacked staff said the video message had referred to a "generous severance package" being offered, but no details were given. P&O Ferries claimed almost £15m in government grants in 2020, which included furlough payments for its employees. P&O Ferries said on Thursday that the decision to lay-off 800 workers was "tough" but said the business would not be viable without "making swift and significant changes now". It said: "We have made a £100m loss year-on-year, which has been covered by our parent DP World. This is not sustainable. Without these changes there is no future for P&O Ferries." P&O Ferries is one of the UK's leading ferry companies, carrying more than 10 million passengers a year before the pandemic and about 15% of all freight cargo in and out of the UK. P&O was bought by DP World, the multi-national ports and logistics company based in Dubai in 2019. At the time of purchase, its chairman Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem described it as a "strong, recognisable brand". It paid a £270m dividend to shareholders in 2020.
