P&O Ferries boss at Holyrood to face questions on crew sacking row
Peter Hebblethwaite will appear in front of a Scottish Parliament committee later
Last updated 29th Mar 2022
The boss of P&O Ferries will have to explain to a Scottish Parliament committee why the company is still unable to run services between Cairnryan and Larne 12 days after sacking 800 seafarers by video message and replacing them with agency staff.
Peter Hebblethwaite will face the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee after having already sat for a Westminster committee last week.
The appearance in Edinburgh comes after UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps warned Mr Hebblethwaite that a "package of measures" was being pursued to "block" the sacking of staff.
In a letter on Monday, Mr Shapps said: "I will be bringing a comprehensive package of measures to Parliament to ensure that seafarers are protected against these types of actions in the way that Parliament and this Government already intended.
"Through that package, I intend to block the outcome that P&O Ferries has pursued, including paying workers less than the minimum wage."
The measures could be revealed as early as Wednesday.
READ MORE: Ferry rivals urged step up services
READ MORE: The Glasgow firm searching for new P&O workers
Second ferry detained
A second P&O ferry is being detained, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has said after undertaking a safety inspection.
The MCA said it was "in the process" of holding The Pride of Kent on Monday.
Last week the agency held the European Causeway which is one of the two vessels operating the route between Cairnryan and Larne.
A spokesperson for the MCA said: "Our surveyors are in the process of detaining the Pride of Kent. We are awaiting confirmation of all the detainable items."
The RMT union repeated its demand that the Government seize P&O's entire fleet and take action to get them back in service with the sacked crew reinstated.
General secretary Mick Lynch said: "The seizing of the Pride of Kent by the MCA this evening should be adequate evidence for the Government that the gangster capitalist outfit P&O are not fit and proper to run a safe service after the jobs massacre.
"It's rare enough for the MCA to impound a ferry but P&O have now had two in a week after the jobs carve up which speaks volumes about the dire state of their operation.
Nicola Sturgeon disgusted
Mr Hebblethwaite has also been criticised north of the border, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon saying she had made clear her "utter disgust" at the job cuts.
Committee convener Dean Lockhart wrote to Mr Hebblethwaite the day after the decision was announced, urging him to appear as soon as possible.
He wrote: "The Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee is extremely concerned about yesterday's news that around 800 of P&O's staff have been sacked, reportedly with immediate effect, and that services, including the Cairnryan-Larne line, have been suspended, ruining passengers' travel plans.
"I am writing to request an urgent update so that the committee may reflect on its immediate scrutiny in relation to this matter."