Former P&O official seeking damages of up to £76m for unfair dismissal as Easter travel chaos looms
A former senior boss at P&O Ferries is seeking up to £76m in compensation over claims of unfair dismissal, including racial discrimination, as the company tells thousands to stay away from Dover over Easter.
Travel chaos is set to ensue over Easter weekend, after P&O Ferries warned customers its vessels are still moored and tickets are not transferrable with other operators.
The firm said a pre-existing reciprocal agreement with rivals such as DFDS and the Channel Tunnel will no longer be accepted, and they should seek alternatives “directly”.
This comes after P&O faced mounting criticism over the sacking of almost 800 staff and the hiring of low-paid third-party workers.
A former P&O Ferries chef is suing the company for unfair dismissal, racial discrimination and harassment, with the BBC reporting the individual has filed a tribunal claim against the company, and is seeking financial compensation and exemplary damages of up to £76million.
The firm said it was “categorically not based on race or the nationality of the staff involved”.
P&O Ferries told passengers to stay away from Dover, warning “DFDS will not be able to transfer P&O customers onto their services” and that they should instead book “directly” with rivals.
A spokesman for DFDS however told the Telegraph it had “very high booking levels, which sadly means we won’t have any capacity available for other operators”.
The ferry firm carries around 10,000 people a day between Dover and Calais at peak times, such as Easter, but it has been barred from sailing all but one of its vessels after the row over sackings started three weeks ago.
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “We are aware of queues at Dover, and the Kent Resilience Forum and local partners are working to minimise any disruption by deploying temporary traffic management measures as standard.
“This has been caused by a number of factors, including severe weather in the Channel.”