P&O Ferries: No ships at Larne Port for week

P&O Ferries operates between Larne and Cairnryan

It will be another week before P&O ships can operate from Larne Port after the ferry company sacked 800 staff, a Stormont minister has said.

Economy Minister Gordon Lyons was speaking after some crew members refused to leave their ships.

Private security officers were sent onto a ship docked at Larne Harbour in County Antrim, to remove staff.

The local MP said the tactics were "Dickensian". P&O said without changes the business "would not be viable".

The RMT union said staff at Larne had been told to clear their lockers and leave, but they had advised them to remain at their posts. They said crew members were being replaced with agency staff.

RMT union said staff on board in Larne had been told to clear their lockers and leave

An RMT spokesman said it was an "absolutely disgraceful way to treat loyal P&O staff who have worked through the pandemic".

One man who spoke to BBC News NI said he had been working with P&O since 2013 and said he "didn't think [he] was going to be hit with redundancy today".

"We got basically calls that there was a company representative coming," he said.

"And security came on and made sure that we got off the ship.

"We went through a lot over the last two years with the pandemic and all that kind of stuff, but didn't think it would end like this."

Other workers who were told they had lost their jobs called the move "disgusting", while one said if they had been told what was happening, "it wouldn't have been such a bitter pill to swallow".

"We just found out through social media. Basically that it was a takeover, there was a new crew coming and all the P&O vessels were tied up," one worker said.

Mr Lyons said: "The company have informed us that it will be another week before ships can operate from Larne Port.

"Whilst customers have been directed to Belfast Port in the short term, they will not have the capacity to ramp up operations in a sufficient manner to accommodate demand.

"With over half of all our freight moving through Larne Port, this announcement will also cause supply problems for companies and supermarkets in Northern Ireland, as well as those firms based here who sell to GB."

The union said workers at the company were being replaced with agency staff

'No redundancies in Larne'

Mr Lyons is a DUP assembly member for the east Antrim constituency in which Larne is located.

He said the chief executive of P&O had assured him "that there will be no redundancies in the Port of Larne and that the company will be making an investment in the future to enhance the attractiveness of the port".

Sammy Wilson, the DUP MP for East Antrim, said he was "appalled" at the way the move had been handled and that the company had done itself "reputational damage" through its actions.

"We are in the 21st century and this is kind of Dickensian stuff that we are listening to here," he said.

Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said she was "shocked" at P&O's decision and along with Mr Lyons called for the transport secretary to "take every possible step to save jobs and to maintain connectivity for passengers and freight on Irish Sea routes".

She said Stormont departments were working to "assess any local impacts, especially for supply chains".

• P&O Ferries sacks 800 but crew refuse to leave ships

Mickey Smith from the trade union, Nautilus, said he was "utterly disgusted" at the treatment of staff.

P&O services scheduled included three between Liverpool and Dublin and seven between Larne and Cairnryan in Dumfries and Galloway.

Earlier, P&O said its survival was dependent on "making swift and significant changes now".

The ferry firm said the "tough decision" was made to secure the future of the business.

At the scene: Will Leitch, BBC News NI

Workers who left the European Causeway will tell you that they weren't expecting to be told they were losing their jobs.

Several of them took a bus to a security fence and came through the gate trundling their suitcases with them after they made the decision to leave.

Staff were told of the company's decision on Thursday

Many others decided to stay on board and defy their management.

It's now confirmed that no P&O ships are likely to sail for five to seven days whilst the situation sorts itself out.

The queues of motorists hoping to get on board from this morning have now gone and the terminal at Larne is largely empty.

P&O ferries say they are securing the company's future.

That's of little comfort to the seafaring staff who brought the European causeway into harbour, only to be told to clear their lockers and go ashore.

Amanda McMaw was due to travel from Larne to Cairnryan on Saturday to visit family in Motherwell but said now "it's all a bit up in the air".

"We haven't heard anything directly from P&O ferries, all we've heard is what's been on the news and on social media," she said.

"We are trying to get booked with an alternative ferry provider and hoping still to be able to travel on Saturday but prices are going up and everything seems to be getting booked up quite quickly.

"We're not sure what will happen with our current booking, whether that will be refunded."

The ferries were tied up on Thursday morning

The Deputy Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Council, Matthew Armstrong, said he did not believe that Belfast port had the capacity to deal with overflow from Larne.

"There are several large supermarkets that exclusively use the port of Larne. There are many small haulage firms who do similar and without someone stepping in with additional ferries, in the meantime, things will begin to grind to a halt," he said.

Seamus Leheny, of Logistics UK, said the move had implications for perishable goods coming into NI.

"The Larne - Cairnryan route handles around about a quarter of the lorries that move between GB and Northern Ireland," he said.

"Larne is the fastest sea connection between Northern Ireland and GB and it makes it very appealing for perishable goods.

"We really need to focus on making sure whatever contingency plans that we have moving the freight onto other routes into Belfast."

It is unclear whether Belfast port will be able to pick up the overflow of business.

Patricia Coulter from the Labour Relations Agency (LRA) said this is a "difficult situation" for those who have been affected.

Ms Coulter said it is "quite unusual to get something of this scale, and the immediacy of it".

"There is legislation in place to protect employees in situations where they are being made redundant," she said.

"It sets out very clearly what procedures and processes that must be followed and what entitlements they have."

P&O has said that its services will not operate for the "next few days", with passengers told to use other companies.

"In its current state, P&O Ferries is not a viable business," 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."