P&O Ferries has dragged industrial relations down to a Dickensian level

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [View in browser]( [The Independent]( March 18, 2022 [The Independent]( The hyper-competitive travel industry is an easy way to lose lots of cash – especially on the short sea crossing to Calais. But cutting losses need not be so cruel. Troubled waters: three vessels belonging to P&O Ferries tied up at Dover on Thursday evening “Without these changes there is no future for P&O Ferries”: that was the justification used by the Dubai-owned ferry firm for [the brutal mass redundancies of its 800 seafarers](. On Thursday morning they learnt they were out of work from an online video message that ended: “Your final day of employment is today.” P&O Ferries insists that without this “difficult but necessary” action it will not have a business. I believe the opposite applies: if the ferry firm carries through its a plan to replace hundreds of dedicated, expert crew with cheaper workers from overseas, it will not have a business. History shows that travel and tourism boycotts are rarely effective: usually, price prevails over principle. But so universal is the abhorrence at the way P&O Ferries has dragged industrial relations down to a Dickensian level that I predict travellers who seek escapes this summer to France, the Netherlands or Ireland voting with their credit cards. After all, there are plenty of alternative Channel, North Sea and Irish Sea crossings – which is one reason P&O Ferries found itself in this mess. Nobody is getting rich on the revenue earned connecting the UK by sea, as shown by P&O Ferries’ revelation of £100m losses in a year. With fuel costs soaring and demand depleted due to a toxic cocktail of Brexit and Covid-19, something had to be done. During the Covid pandemic, many operators have adopted so-called “fire and rehire” policies. The aim: to redraw employment terms to the company’s advantage. Pretty much every front-line worker for British Airways is on inferior conditions compared with the halcyon days of 2019. But [BA’s management and the unions negotiated solutions that responded to the sudden collapse of international aviation](: preserving as many flying jobs as possible while cutting costs and increasing productivity. DP World, the Dubai-based owner of P&O Ferries, came up with a different concept: fire and don’t rehire. The cunning plan was to close down the operation, sack everyone and restart it almost immediately with crew paid much less. Decades of experience among seafarers who instinctively know every detail of the complex operation apparently counts for nothing; indeed, the ferry firm promises passengers “a better service” from the new crew. After such brutal treatment of the P&O Ferries workforce, I am not sure how many passengers will choose to find out. The hyper-competitive travel industry is an easy way to lose lots of cash, especially on the short sea crossing to Calais. But cutting losses need not be so cruel. Top travel headlines [I'm an image]( [All travel restrictions have ended for arrivals to the UK]( For travellers arriving in the UK, the passenger locator form and Covid testing rules are now history. They were officially abandoned on Friday 18 March at 4am, 21 months after tough coronavirus travel restrictions were brought in by the UK. From today, they are deemed unnecessary. [Vietnam reopens to tourists after two years]( As “competitive reopening” heats up, this alluring southeast Asian nation has finally lifted its travel ban, allowing travellers to return. But the precise rules they must follow remain obscure. The government in Hanoi has yet to issue specific guidance on testing and isolation for foreigners. [I'm an image]( [How to spend 48 hours in Manchester – a top world city]( Impossibly chic townhouse hotels, sophisticated sky bars, a charming waterfront quarter and dinners beyond your wildest dreams: why the northwest English city was recently ranked third in the world. Tip of the week: Don’t muddle Ferries with Cruises The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company began life in 1840 as an intercontinental shipping line. By the end of the 20th century, P&O had accumulated a vast array of maritime and property interests. In 2002, during some corporate streamlining, the company’s cruise business was sold to the Miami-based giant, Carnival. Today, P&O Cruises is sailing normally and has no connection with troubled P&O Ferries, which is owned by Dubai-based DP World. Pick of the week: Norwegian Cruise Line When you cruise NCL, you get more. Save big in 2022 with 35% off cruises + select Fly-Cruises*. [Book now]( Deal of the week: Club 50 flat fares in Scotland Anyone born on or before 18 March 1972 can pay £15 per year for ScotRail’s innovative [Club 50](. Travellers get 20 per cent off advance and off-peak tickets when booked online, which is useful for those who are happily too young for a Senior Railcard. More temptingly, up to and including 1 May members qualify for a flat-fare deal of just £12 return between any two stations in Scotland. That is one-10th of the normal fare between Stranraer in the south and Thurso in the north. In addition, hot and cold drinks on trains are half-price. Open to everyone aged 50 or over – no need to have an address in Scotland. Travel voucher of the week [Save up to £200 on holidays over £700 with the easyJet holidays spring sale]( Question of the week What chance of the US easing Covid testing rules? Q We are booked to go to the US on 2 April. Do you see any change happening with the 24-hour testing window – either scrapping it or extending it to 72 hours? A When America first opened up to the UK last November, you were allowed to take the pre-departure lateral flow test on the day of departure or any of the previous three days. Soon afterwards, the window was reduced to just the day of travel or the day before, in response to the spread of the Omicron variant. Given the plodding opening of international tourism by the US, I would be surprised – but glad – if the test were to be scrapped or eased before your trip. And a reminder: the test must be professionally administered. Stat of the week 500 The estimated number of Western-owned aircraft currently in Russia that have been ["nationalised" by order of Vladimir Putin]( as the war in Ukraine continues and international sanctions bite. What you might have missed - Manchester airport has apologised for hours-long security queues. [Many passengers missed flights and some departures were delayed.]( - One in 10 British men thinks female cabin crew should wear high heels. [But 57% of women believe they definitely should not.]( - New Zealand will open to British tourists in 45 days. [The nation will allow fully vaccinated visitors from 11.59pm on 1 May.]( Simon’s diary Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My DMs are open. Though regrettably I can’t respond to every message, I do read them all. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder]( Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 3.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. 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