Concerns for P&O staff jobs amid new crew law

P&O Ferries operates a route between Dover and Calais

There are fresh concerns for the jobs of P&O workers as new legislation limits the amount of time crews can spend on board ships.

A letter sent to staff, seen by the BBC, said a new French law will mean crews can spend a maximum of up to 14 days on the ferry.

Concerns raised by a union are that current staff, many of them from the Philippines and Indonesia, would prove too costly to repatriate on the revised schedules.

A P&O spokesperson said the company had "always called for a level playing field among ferry operators" to ensure a "thriving sector".

The ferry operator will move its Dover to Calais route staffing to two weeks on, two weeks off.

Martyn Gray, director of organising at seafarers’ union Nautilus, said that is a reduction for many workers.

New legislation will come in from June, according to the letter sent by crewing management agency PhilCrew, “particularly impacting” crew members from Asia and those needing “extensive travel periods”.

Mr Gray raised concerns the move could be “another blow” for staff at the company and that jobs could be at risk.

Staffing at P&O is looked after by PhilCrew, who did not respond to a request for comment.

John Lansdown, a former sous chef on the Dover to Calais route, has been campaigning for better conditions for crew since the mass sackings at the firm in 2022.

He said: "Again it’s the people who bear the brunt of this."

A spokesperson for P&O Ferries said: "We recruit in a competitive international labour market and offer a package that attracts experienced, qualified seafarers from the UK, EU and around the world to work aboard our ships.

"We always pay at least the minimum wage required by national and international law and we provide an industry-leading support package for our crew and work hard to ensure their welfare, wellbeing and mental health are properly cared for."