P&O

[BoldonLad]

I'm a little confused I'm sorry.
Your issue with people not using them, or with people saying they're not going to use them?

BTW, are they significantly cheaper than the other options?

My experience is, perhaps, a little out of date now, since our Channel hopping has been curtailed, during Covid, but, in my experience, if you wanted the cheapest channel crossing (with a vehicle) then, Dover/Dunkirk, with DFDS at an off peak time was the way to go. There are things to take into consideration, besides price of course, but, in our experience a late evening or very early sailing with DFDS was the cheapest way to go.

There are other ferry crossings than the Channel of course, some, no doubt, where there is no alternative to P&O, or, some other operator.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

استعادة السيطرة

I thought I was getting pretty good with the Cyrillic alphabet but I draw the line at reverse shorthand.

 

[mudsticks]

I'm not knocking fruit picking, it's the Marie Antionette attitude I'm sure many middle class people will have towards the sacked staff.

I even did some picking during my year abroad ooop north near Bremen. 36 degrees in the sun picking Heidelbeeren or blueberries. Does anyone still call them whortleberries or be I showing my higorance?

Some folks still call them whortleberrires yes.

Well once you start delving into 'class' and who cares and who doesn't in relation to that, then you're properly sunk..

Despite having been a manual labourer for most of my.life.

And now a landowner, and sometime business owner for over twenty years, you'd probs label me as 'middle class'
Oh and I'm also a union rep .

However I care lots about these things
I'm also lucky enough to be able to be choosey as to from whom I purchase a passage..

And I have Brittany ferries serving most of my local lines - they're pretty good being French owned.
If I'm going more easterly I'll use Eurostar.

However we also have people on here who would label themselves 'working class'..
Who clearly giveth not a feck about anyone else or their rights - and are proud to declare it, it would seem ..

So who does and doesn't care about business ethics, workers rights etc etc seems to be far more down to a person's general outlook on life and society..

Rather than any outdated notions of 'class'

 

[lazybloke]

So you believe that people that P&O will now be boycotted?

From my perspective it's not just a belief, I have boycotted P&O; As I said upthread, I booked elsewhere on Thursday, and I won't be the only one. Others (like @Julia9054) will do so in future, so there is a current and ongoing boycott.

If you want to speculate about how effective or long-lived that boycott might be, then go ahead - those are valid points for discussion. Denial isn't.

Probably only by people who were never going to use them anyway

Nope, I've been a regular P&O customer for a couple of decades. Pretty much annually since 2006, although a gap for the pandemic.

I expect P&O will embark on a massive charm offensive with cut-price fares. That will definitely offset some of the impact of a boycott, but it's my hope that people power will force some significant changes. Hopefully a change in management and ownership, and a commitment to a fairer deal to the staff. Then I'll use them again.

 

[cookiemonster]

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMMaG_6UFb8


Live now.

 

[mjr]

As there are really only 2 companies doing the Dover/Calais route though, I guess there is a 50% chance I will be using them later in the year, unless I go on the Tunnel.

So which two of P&O, DFDS and Irish do you think are the same company?

Irish ferries have already replaced their workers with agency ones, BTW.

 

[BoldonLad]

So which two of P&O, DFDS and Irish do you think are the same company?

Irish ferries have already replaced their workers with agency ones, BTW.

The DFDS ferries I have travelled on seem to have almost exclusively, what, on the surface, would appear to be none "Brits" working on the car deck and in the passenger areas (Cabins, Bars, Cafeteria, Shop, etc). Didn't go on the Bridge.

 

[newfhouse]

The DFDS ferries I have travelled on seem to have almost exclusively, what, on the surface, would appear to be none "Brits" working on the car deck and in the passenger areas (Cabins, Bars, Cafeteria, Shop, etc). Didn't go on the Bridge.

It’s their pay and conditions that matter, not their countries of origin.

 

[BoldonLad]

It’s their pay and conditions that matter, not their countries of origin.

I would agree, and, I didn't conduct a survey of their pay and working conditions, my point was that, I suspect (note, suspect, not know) that P&O are not the only Company pulling this stunt. But, P&O have not taken the slowly slowly, no one will notice approach.

It so happens, Son No1 works in the Marine Industry, he has for a long time commented on the decline in the number of "Brits" he encounters on vessels, all I am saying is, this is not a new development. Me saying this, does not imply I agree with it, or, condone it, I am am merely pointing out that it happens. Is that OK?

For what it is worth, the two (DFDS) ships making the Newcastle - Amsterdam run are flagged in Denmark (according to Google), I am not expert enough in the subject to know what impact this may or may not have on crew pay and conditions.

The DFDS Ferries on the Dover - Calais route (6 of them) are flagged 3 UK, and 3 France.

 

[newfhouse]

Me saying this, does not imply I agree with it, or, condone it, I am am merely pointing out that it happens. Is that OK?

Of course. I was merely adding my take on the situation.

 

[spen666]

Perhaps a silly question, but could the government not legislate that all ships using British Ports have to pay their staff the UK minimum wage for at least the periods they are in UK waters?

Or that they have to pay UK minimum wage Period.

 

[mjr]

Perhaps a silly question, but could the government not legislate that all ships using British Ports have to pay their staff the UK minimum wage for at least the periods they are in UK waters?

Or that they have to pay UK minimum wage Period.

Yes, as long as we are willing to see at least some ships redeployed away from the UK and fares rise by more than would be needed to cover the wage rise because of the reduction in supply of ferry capacity. See what happened when slavery was outlawed in the UK before the Netherlands and Spain, but I am not sure this government or maybe even this country would still have the backbone to tackle slavery today.

 

[Craig the cyclist]

DP World operate one of the busiest terminals in Hong Kong (CT3).

BTW, it's not DP World that operate the busiest cargo terminal in HK, it's COSCO (OOCL) and the HK Gov.

Phew, lucky I didn't write it was the biggest one then eh? That would have been wrong wouldn't it. Luckily though, I wrote 'one of the biggest'

Anyway, you haven't told us, how is the boycott of anything handled by DP World going? Maybe you could tell us exactly how you are going about identifying stuff handled by them so you know what to boycott, then anyone else who wants to join in your boycott can do so.

 

[Craig the cyclist]

I'm a little confused I'm sorry.
Your issue with people not using them, or with people saying they're not going to use them?

BTW, are they significantly cheaper than the other options?

People will say 'oh don't use P&O, they are bad' , then look at the prices and book with P&O. My point is that the ferries will remain full.

It would be great to boycott them, but the harsh reality is that for £40, me and my partner can sail from Dover to Calais (at decent times) on the day before Good Friday, come back Easter Monday. DFDS will charge me £65 for the same journey (and £85 if I change to a slightly earlier (P&O booking) time), and the tunnel is at least £82 (I can't be arsed to make a booking, but that is the minimum as it is £21 each way for a bicycle, passengers will be extra).

So, maybe the question should be, what actual cash price are you willing to pay to support the sacked workers?

I bet no-one is brave enough to answer that in real cash terms, there will just be lots of guff answers. Come on, how much in money to support the workers?

 

[Craig the cyclist]

So you believe that people that P&O will now be boycotted? Probably only by people who were never going to use them anyway.

When I wrote this, several of you jumped on it and said that wasn't so.

Mudsticks has pretty much proved my point here though. She has told us she is avoiding P&O

I'll be avoiding P&O

But actually wouldn't use them anyway That will show the P&O bosses eh?

And I have Brittany ferries serving most of my local lines - they're pretty good being French owned.
If I'm going more easterly I'll use Eurostar.