Carnival UK, the parent company of P&O Cruises and Cunard, is facing accusations of attempting to dismiss more than 900 staff who refuse to agree to new job terms. Just one day after initiating discussions with union representatives, the firm is said to have submitted a “fire and rehire” plan to authorities in both Bermuda and the UK. The Nautilus union has since claimed that the company had no desire for “meaningful negotiations”. However, Carnival UK has insisted that it is not making any redundancies.
Last year, P&O Ferries, which is a separate business to P&O Cruises, was also in the spotlight over the firing of 800 staff members by its owner, DP World. The company dismissed its staff without any notice, replacing them with lower-paid foreign agency workers. Nautilus, which represents numerous of the individuals potentially affected by Carnival UK’s proposed changes, has stated that it received notification of a potential switch to employment terms for 919 crew members across 10 ships.
The union has suggested that P&O Cruises staff could be affected by the proposals, along with crew on the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2. Nautilus cited Form HR1, an official document listing a company’s redundancy plans, which it asserts that Carnival UK submitted to the UK government. The company has denied that it is planning to dismiss staff members and subsequently re-employ them, stating that it is implementing an annual salary review process.
The dispute has resulted in union members accusing the firm of trying to reduce crew members’ working days by 20%, from 243 to 200 per year, thereby leading to reduced income. Carnival UK claims that the proposed changes will improve pay alignment and workforce viability. Nautilus has urged the company to withdraw its “fire and rehire” plans and enter into genuine negotiations.
Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh has claimed that history is repeating itself, citing last year’s P&O Ferries scandal as an example of corporate mistreatment of workers. Meanwhile, Nautilus’s national organiser, Garry Elliot, has called for a ban on the use of the “fire and rehire” approach by firms looking to alter terms and conditions of employment. He argues that employers should be disallowed from making fundamental changes to workforce contracts by “playing with their employees’ livelihoods”
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