P&O Ferries: Archbishop of Canterbury condemns redundancies as inhumane

The Archbishop of Canterbury called the sackings inhumane

The Archbishop of Canterbury has described P&O's decision to sack 800 workers without warning or consultation as "inhumane and unethical".

Speaking in a joint statement with the Bishop of Dover, Justin Welby called for assistance for Dover.

Archbishop Welby said P&O's move was "cynically timed for a moment when the world's attention was on Ukraine."

Protests continued on Friday in Dover, with the town's Conservative MP being heckled by demonstrators.

All P&O services remain suspended.

The Archbishop said the firm's actions "treated human beings as a commodity of no basic value or dignity."

At the scene

Simon Jones, BBC News, Dover

This is a town still reeling from yesterday's announcement.

The majority of the 800 staff sacked live in the Dover area.

Some have worked for the company for years.

They felt part of a family. But now that has, suddenly and unexpectedly, been taken away from them.

Three P&O ships are tied up at the cruise-liner terminal.

When they will next sail, and who will be on board, is far from clear.

Demonstrations continued to affect the Port of Dover for a second day.

The local MP, Natalie Elphicke, was jeered by protesters who shouted "shame on you" and "you're on the bosses' side".

Ms Elphicke responded: "I stand with the workers."

She said: "I have asked employment ministers to take immediate action to support workers who are impacted."

Engineering officer Phil Lees says he feels badly betrayed

Meanwhile, those who were made redundant by P&O continue to feel a sense of shock.

Phil Lees was an engineering officer for 34 years with the company in Dover.

He said: "This whole situation has just ripped the heart out of me and the industry.

"At the moment I'm just numb, in shock, and it feels almost like a bereavement. I feel very badly betrayed."

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