THIS is the brutal moment bosses sacked 800 P&O Ferries staff - via zoom.
In a virtual speech a company chief told workers their contracts were terminated immediately following losses of more than £100 million.
The pre-recorded video, which started at 11.10am this morning, lasted less than four minutes and saw all staff told they were losing their jobs.
A P&O boss told staff: "The company has made the decision that its vessels going forward will be primarily crewed by a third party crew provider
"Therefore I am sorry to inform you that this means your employment is terminated with immediate effect on the grounds of redundancy.
"Your final day of employment is today."
Most read in Money
RMT Union bosses fear UK seafarers employed by the company could be replaced by foreign labour and agency staff.
The move, blasted by workers as "treacherous", sparked travel chaos as union leaders urge employees to stage a mutiny and refuse to disembark from vessels.
Cheap agency workers are now stuck waiting at docksides ready to board the ferries.
One worker, a dad-of-two, of Dover, Kent, said: "I had to switch it off.
"I couldn't watch it to the end. Within about a minute and a half of being on it, they told us we were being sacked.
"I can't even remember exactly what he said as it's all a blur. But I just turned it off there and then.
"I had a few texts and emails from people with rumours circulating as there were photos of crews waiting to join the ships before getting the email at 10.30am."
It comes as exhausted Brits are stuck in ports after P&O Ferries axed its crew and cancelled services "next few days".
P&O said its survival was dependent on "making swift and significant changes now".
In a statement it confirmed its services will not operate for the "next few days", with passengers told to use other companies.
Gary Jackson, a full-time officer onboard the Pride of Hull, told the BBC crew were sacked through a pre-recorded message on Zoom.
He said he had not received anything in writing from the company.
Gary said: "We've still not received any detail further on what they will offer.
"We can see from the ship two vans, one with agency staff and the other with what we believe are security staff to remove us...and that's why the captain here lifted the gangway."
P&O ferries dock at multiple European ports including Belgium, France, Netherlands, Italy, and Germany.
On its website it boasts carrying £10 million passengers every year as well as 1.6 million cars, and 2.2 million freight units.
Staff had no idea what was coming
One woman, who does not want to be named, has a husband and son who lost their jobs on Dover ferries overnight.
She said: "When P&O suspended sailings this morning crews were waiting on the ships with no idea what was happening - even the captains didn't know.
"Then pictures emerged of three coach loads of foreign workers waiting at ports to take their jobs.
"They were already wearing P&O uniforms - yet the staff still hadn't been told they were being let go.
"They were told they had five minutes to get their stuff and get off the ships.
"These guys are week on week off workers who have called these ships home for half of the year every year.
"They have personal effects in lockers which they can't get to - clothes, bedding, photographs and in some cases financial documents which will be taken out and thrown.
"My son is an apprentice.
"With 350 people competing for jobs at sea, they're unlikely to be able to find a ferry company to take them on to finish their apprenticeships. "Their coursework is on the ships waiting to be thrown out."
'Treacherous'
The move, blasted by workers as "treacherous", sparked travel chaos as union leaders urge employees to stage a mutiny and refuse to disembark from vessels.
Cheap agency workers are now stuck waiting at docksides ready to board the ferries.
It comes as exhausted Brits are stuck in ports after P&O Ferries axed its crew and cancelled services "next few days".
Unverified reports suggest as many as 16 "handcuff trained" agents were brought into Dover to assist security in removing staff from vessels if needed.
An excerpt from an email reportedly sent to the agents read: "I am limited on information I can provide due to a Non Disclosure Agreement however the client we are assisting requires 16 interforce agents [handcuff trained] to support their security teams in the unlikely event their staff become challenging.
"Essentially, our clients client will be informing staff of redundancies and there is a possible risk of backlash."
MPs blast P&O as shameful
Labour MP Dame Diana Johnson said people in balaclavas are "taking British crew off these ships", describing P&O's actions as "shameful".
Making a point of order in the House of Commons, the MP for Kingston upon Hull North said: "Members in port constituencies, not least in northern England, will be shocked at the news being reported about DP World, who own P&O Ferries, suspending services this morning, sacking 800 British P&O workers immediately by pre-recorded video message, and them being replaced by agency staff.
"I understand from the RMT union that these agency staff, mainly from overseas, are in buses on the quayside with a security firm, hired by DP World, wearing balaclavas and taking British crew off these ships.
"This is shameful and it goes against all norms of fair and reasonable behaviour."
She warned about new staff being hired on "less favourable terms".
The Labour MP said: "This is about a race to the bottom in terms of conditions reminiscent of the worst Thatcherite policies.
"The UK seafarers who are being removed from ships battled through the pandemic to keep that company afloat and P&O received taxpayers' support.
"This action will also have a major economic impact on places like the Humber."
Ferry cancellations and redundancies - your rights
If your ferry has been cancelled, or its departure has been delayed for more than 90 minutes, you should get a full refund.
Your ticket should be refunded within seven days or you should be able to get on an alternative ferry at no extra cost, according to Which?.
Travel association ABTA says your ferry operator should offer you accommodation free of charge if your ferry has been cancelled and you're stuck for the night.
It can limit the cost of shelling out for an overnight stay at £66 a night per night per passenger for a maximum of three nights.
Or, your ferry operator may ask you to make your own way home and offer to pay your expenses back.
If your ferry operator has failed to reimburse your ticket where your journey has been cancelled, .
They will handle your complaint and see whether they can help you resolve the issue with the ferry provider.
How am I protected with redundancy?
The statutory rate is based on your age, weekly pay and number of years in the job.
You will get:
- Half a week’s pay for each full year you worked aged under 22
- One week’s pay for each full year you worked aged 22 or older, but under 41
- One and half week’s pay for each full year you worked while aged 41 or older.
Length of service is capped at 20 years.
In England, Scotland, and Wales the maximum amount of statutory redundancy pay is currently £16,320. However, in Northern Ireland it is £16,980.
You cannot be paid less than the statutory amount.
The limits may change when a new tax year begins each April.
he government has a how much you are owed.
You may get more than this statutory amount if your employer has a redundancy scheme.
Redundancy pay up to £30,000 is tax-free.
P&O is owned by DP World, a Dubai-based logistics giant, that bought the ferry company for £322m in 2019.
The company said in a statement: "P&O Ferries is not a viable business. We have made a £100m loss year on year, which has been covered by our parent DP World.
"This is not sustainable.
"Our survival is dependent on making swift/significant changes now. 800 seafarers given immediate severance notices."
READ MORE SUN STORIES
P&O is a separate company to P&O Cruises which is operated by Carnival UK.
It split from the ferries part of the business in 2000 and is unaffected by today's announcement.