Sun Mar 27, 2022 10:27 pm
#1905352
Having worked onboard, on the Larne - Cairnryan route for P&O (was a seasonal fast ferry - meant as a student I could work the whole season) I felt pretty well trained. As it was seasonal, we were checked by MCA at the start each year. They observed our emergency drills, asked us questions on what we were doing. Training I think was about a week (although I'm struggling to remember). Before onboard training we had to be qualified in a whole host of stuff (P&O put me through that) which was a 2 week residential course, including dealing with life rafts in a cold swimming pool and fire fighting.
Perhaps a bit different as there was plenty of prep for the start of the season, delivered by staff who already know the ship and procedures inside out.
The emergency systems on those ships (Highlander, Causeway), which were operating in parallel to the ship I was on, and some crew moved between ships, are similar, with many identical procedures.
For what needed done at my level, there would be no excuse for getting it wrong. It is pretty worrying about who they have employed if they didn't make the correct standard.
As an aside, after I left, the ship I was on was replaced with another which was crewed by agency staff. That was some time ago now - caused some friction at the time as people who had done (and been employed by P&O via a holding company) the same role for years weren't told of the change to use an agency, so by the time they applied for that year it was too late. The terms (as seasonal work) weren't as good, but not miles away from what I was paid.
My memory (from some time ago) is these ships (Highlander and Causeway) were crewed with 3 shifts: 1 sleeping, 1 active, 1 shoreside / off. Those onboard effectively live onboard for two weeks at a time doing 12 hour shifts. It becomes a home. Some people had been working onboard for 20+ years.
I feel incredibly sorry for those staff members. Yes they are being offered enhanced redundancy packages - but they should have at least been offered the opportunity to become agency staff.
P&O Ferries communication has been dire, with CEO saying what was done was illegal in the select committee, yet the press statements say it wasn't illegal. Working on a ship does involve different employment rules to normal - but there are lots of grey areas, especially if running a ferry between British Ports, in British waters. UK / EU (embodied in UK) employment law doesn't have an exception in it.
This is clearly a group who have calculated they can pay off their staff rather than consult / follow rules. Employment Tribunals tend to only give ex employees a month or two extra salary if procedures aren't followed. Clearly companies need much more strongly encouraged to treat employees right - and that encouragement need provided using a stick.
Perhaps a bit different as there was plenty of prep for the start of the season, delivered by staff who already know the ship and procedures inside out.
The emergency systems on those ships (Highlander, Causeway), which were operating in parallel to the ship I was on, and some crew moved between ships, are similar, with many identical procedures.
For what needed done at my level, there would be no excuse for getting it wrong. It is pretty worrying about who they have employed if they didn't make the correct standard.
As an aside, after I left, the ship I was on was replaced with another which was crewed by agency staff. That was some time ago now - caused some friction at the time as people who had done (and been employed by P&O via a holding company) the same role for years weren't told of the change to use an agency, so by the time they applied for that year it was too late. The terms (as seasonal work) weren't as good, but not miles away from what I was paid.
My memory (from some time ago) is these ships (Highlander and Causeway) were crewed with 3 shifts: 1 sleeping, 1 active, 1 shoreside / off. Those onboard effectively live onboard for two weeks at a time doing 12 hour shifts. It becomes a home. Some people had been working onboard for 20+ years.
I feel incredibly sorry for those staff members. Yes they are being offered enhanced redundancy packages - but they should have at least been offered the opportunity to become agency staff.
P&O Ferries communication has been dire, with CEO saying what was done was illegal in the select committee, yet the press statements say it wasn't illegal. Working on a ship does involve different employment rules to normal - but there are lots of grey areas, especially if running a ferry between British Ports, in British waters. UK / EU (embodied in UK) employment law doesn't have an exception in it.
This is clearly a group who have calculated they can pay off their staff rather than consult / follow rules. Employment Tribunals tend to only give ex employees a month or two extra salary if procedures aren't followed. Clearly companies need much more strongly encouraged to treat employees right - and that encouragement need provided using a stick.