Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
DP World, the owner of P&O Ferries, has confirmed its attendance at the UK’s investment summit on Monday, where it is expected to announce a £1bn investment, despite a recent controversy. The move comes after Transport Secretary Louise Haigh criticised the ferry firm, calling on customers to boycott the company after it sacked nearly 800 seafarers and replaced them with cheaper labour. Haigh described P&O as a “rogue operator”, and her comments coincided with the announcement of new legislation by the Department for Transport aimed at protecting seafarers’ jobs.
The row was caused by Haigh’s comments in an interview with ITV last week. DP World insisted the move was necessary to save the ferry operator and to secure thousands of jobs. However, senior government figures were reportedly outraged by Haigh’s suggestion that consumers boycott P&O Ferries. The Labour chair of the House of Commons Business and Trade Committee, Liam Byrne, defended Haigh, arguing that the behaviour of P&O in the past had been completely unacceptable.
An expansion of DP World’s London Gateway port is expected to go ahead, with announcements expected in the coming days. The investment will bring hundreds of jobs to Thurrock, according to DP World. The United Arab Emirates-based company also owns Southampton Port. The government is hosting the International Investment Summit on Monday in an effort to attract billions of pounds of investment.
The controversy has revealed a tension between the government’s aim to attract business and strengthen workers’ rights. The prime minister is understood not to have been directly involved in talks with DP World, nor has he personally spoken to Haigh about her remarks. Meanwhile, Downing Street stated that the summit would demonstrate that Britain is open for business as it seeks to foster economic growth
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.