The captain of a P&O ferry has been called a ‘hero’ after he refused to let anyone onto the vessel by raising the gangplanks after the company sacked 800 members of staff in the UK today. You can see the moment they were sacked in the video below.
The staff were told that they’d been made redundant over Zoom.
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During the same message they were told that they would not be working for the company beyond today.
With many members of staff angered by the decision, Eugene Favier, who is in charge of the Pride of Hull ship, refused to let the anyone board by sealing up the vessel with himself and the crew on board.
Eventually, Captain Favier went ashore to negotiate with representatives from the company, and P&O have agreed to provide paperwork that the employees’ union had requested.
Yorkshire and Lincolnshire RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) organiser Gaz Jackson told Mirror Online that the crew were ‘absolutely devastated’ and described P&O’s tactics as ‘unacceptable’ and ‘unforgivable’.
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Speaking in Hull, Jackson said: “I got a phone call at 8am saying something was going to happen at P&O, I got on board (the Pride of Hull) and spoke to the captain and we said we’ve got to lift the gangway until we’ve got an agreement.
“At 11am ratings and officers were informed there was going to be a pre-recorded Zoom meeting. After that two to three-minute call all the crew were made redundant.”
Jackson claimed that the captain made the ‘brave decision’ to seal the vessel ‘for the safety of the crew’ because security guards were ‘going to pull [them] off if we weren’t going to get off’.
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Luckily, that didn’t happen.
Jackson continued: “The crew are absolutely devastated. I’ve seen grown men crying on there because they don’t know where they’re going to go from today.”
Hull MP Karl Turner said that Captain Favier operated within maritime law in stopping anyone getting onto his ship.
He said: "I'm told by Gaz Jackson, who is the RMT official who is sitting in on the ship, he's effectively locked in with the ship and the crew.
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"He's saying the captain is refusing to allow the police to enter the ship. Members have said to me that the vessel has got enough supplies to feed the crew for as long as it takes.
"As far as I understand in maritime law, even though that vessel is in a port, that captain is still entitled under maritime law to refuse any person onto his vessel."
Turner later added: "The captain is Capt. Eugene Favier from the Netherlands.
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"What a hero, rising to the moment and supporting his crew as they resist this disgraceful action by P&O.
"Eugene Favier has gone ashore to speak directly with P&O at their request, crew remains onboard."
Tom Wood