P & O

bluethrunthru said:
Turns out you can't just grab someone from anywhere to man a ship in a first world country - its like Hebblethwaite doesn't know what he is doing

www.bbc.co.uk

P&O: Second ferry detained over safety concerns

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency held the Pride of Kent after it failed a safety inspection.
www.bbc.co.uk
Click to expand...

You can incorporate a few agency staff if they are trained and the majority of the other crew onboard are regular hands. What you can't do is throw a full crew and officers onto a ship they're completely unfamiliar with. It's insanity.
 
Idesofmarch69 said:
If Hebblethwaite is forced out of P&O, I rather hope he is told via a pre-recorded Zoom message.
Click to expand...
Personally I'd like to see the bloke in prison, but failing that a statement from Dubai saying, "I'm afraid CEO's have to be competitive. We can't justify paying £325,000 a year when we can get one from the Philippines for £20,000 a year. Of course I'm sorry for Mr Hepplewhite and his family but it's a business decision."
 
won't reinstate crews and he won't quit. In the case of the former he says that would collapse the whole company - probably true thats why they are where they are - probably due to financial mismanagement anyway. Won't quit because he is probably due a big bonus to get this through THEN quit.

Meanwhile Shapps proving what a knob he is and how impotent Brexit has left the Govt
 
bluethrunthru said:
won't reinstate crews and he won't quit. In the case of the former he says that would collapse the whole company - probably true thats why they are where they are - probably due to financial mismanagement anyway. Won't quit because he is probably due a big bonus to get this through THEN quit.

Meanwhile Shapps proving what a knob he is and how impotent Brexit has left the Govt
Click to expand...

Hebblethwaitehe might come across as a buffoon but trust me the firm will have done their homework in regards to the legalities of what they're doing. The flag of convenience which allows a British owned/operated company to get rid of crew and replace them with a cheaper foreign alternative has been going on for decades. It was never implemented around the British isles due to the furore it would cause. Seamen deep sea are out of sight out of mind so they did it with no fuss by the media, nobody except those it affected gave a shit. Also Sealink, then Sealink/Stena line etcetera didn't dare do it because they had French ships under their command plying the same routes. If they had dared to try it their ships would never have got into French ports. What they've done isn't illegal due to being under the Cypriot flag, where they did break the law was refusing to negotiate with the unions and give any notice. I'm sure they've factored in the cost of the maximum penalty they'll face for doing so.

Best case scenario is the crew all get their payouts. The government hammer the company with the maximum penalty, then change the law making it not financially viable to go down the route they have chosen. Hebblethwaitehe gets sacked, hit with massive individual fines or worse and the company sell up or fold. Let's face it they're not employing local people so no loss. A decent company takes over and crew who loved the job go back to sea under decent terms and conditions plus a nice payout in the bank. Fingers crossed.
 
paulchapo said:
Hebblethwaitehe might come across as a buffoon but trust me the firm will have done their homework in regards to the legalities of what they're doing. The flag of convenience which allows a British owned/operated company to get rid of crew and replace them with a cheaper foreign alternative has been going on for decades. It was never implemented around the British isles due to the furore it would cause. Seamen deep sea are out of sight out of mind so they did it with no fuss by the media, nobody except those it affected gave a shit. Also Sealink, then Sealink/Stena line etcetera didn't dare do it because they had French ships under their command plying the same routes. If they had dared to try it their ships would never have got into French ports. What they've done isn't illegal due to being under the Cypriot flag, where they did break the law was refusing to negotiate with the unions and give any notice. I'm sure they've factored in the cost of the maximum penalty they'll face for doing so.

Best case scenario is the crew all get their payouts. The government hammer the company with the maximum penalty, then change the law making it not financially viable to go down the route they have chosen. Hebblethwaitehe gets sacked, hit with massive individual fines or worse and the company sell up or fold. Let's face it they're not employing local people so no loss. A decent company takes over and crew who loved the job go back to sea under decent terms and conditions plus a nice payout in the bank. Fingers crossed.
Click to expand...

I thought I read the fines were unlimited as the law was broken? If that’s the case make the fine so punitive no one dare repeat the same trick.

Hopefully this whole depressing episode will shine a light, not only, on seafarers and their rights but also other offshore workers who also have ambiguous rights (although I think are better off than seafarers). Sadly as legislation takes so long to work through I expect, once the furore dies down, that nothing will change for the better and the only thing that will stop anyone else doing this is the negative publicity - which is no substitute for proper law.
 
metalblue said:
I thought I read the fines were unlimited as the law was broken? If that’s the case make the fine so punitive no one dare repeat the same trick.

Hopefully this whole depressing episode will shine a light, not only, on seafarers and their rights but also other offshore workers who also have ambiguous rights (although I think are better off than seafarers). Sadly as legislation takes so long to work through I expect, once the furore dies down, that nothing will change for the better and the only thing that will stop anyone else doing this is the negative publicity - which is no substitute for proper law.
Click to expand...

I heard that about the fines. The problem is they are the biggest operator on the channel.and are pretty vital to keep goods flowing in. I'm amazed there hasn't been a furore in the news about a huge backlog of freight as none of their ships are operating at the moment. There must be a media blackout
 
paulchapo said:
I heard that about the fines. The problem is they are the biggest operator on the channel.and are pretty vital to keep goods flowing in. I'm amazed there hasn't been a furore in the news about a huge backlog of freight as none of their ships are operating at the moment. There must be a media blackout
Click to expand...

Which is why they thought they could get away with it I presume? Good point in freight, certainly wasn’t aware
 
paulchapo said:
I heard that about the fines. The problem is they are the biggest operator on the channel.and are pretty vital to keep goods flowing in. I'm amazed there hasn't been a furore in the news about a huge backlog of freight as none of their ships are operating at the moment. There must be a media blackout.
Click to expand...
I don't think there are any surprises that the announcement was made during the Russian invasion of Ukraine when the media's focus was elsewhere. The company had likely been waiting in their moment to try and limit any damages
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top
✖
  AdBlock Detected
Bluemoon relies on advertising to pay our hosting fees. Please support the site by disabling your ad blocking software to help keep the forum sustainable. Thanks.