The Labour government says it's had ‘warm engagement’ with DP World bosses who sacked 800 P&O Ferry workers two years ago
Workers march against P&O bosses in Dover in April 2022
(Picture: Guy Smallman)
By Tomáš Tengely-Evans
Saturday 12 October 2024
SOCIALIST WORKER Issue
Keir Starmer marked Labour’s first 100 days in office on Saturday by siding with bosses who’d sacked hundreds of workers on the spot.
Transport secretary Louise Haigh had described P&O Ferries—which sacked 800 workers in a brutal fire and rehire in 2022—as a “rogue operator”. “I’ve been boycotting P&O Ferries for two-and-a-half years and I would encourage consumers to do the same,” she said on Wednesday.
Her comments came the day before Labour unveiled its Employment Rights Bill, which is a step forward but falls short on the party’s pledges. It promised to “end unscrupulous fire and rehire practices”, but wouldn’t ban bosses from using the vicious tactic.
That still outraged DP World—P&O’s owner—which threatened to pull a £1 billion investment into the Thames Gateway port project on Friday.
Starmer slapped down Haigh in a BBC interview, saying, “Well, look, that’s not the view of the government.”
Whitehall sources told BBC News that there was “warm engagement” between senior figures in the firm and the government since Starmer’s criticism.
DP World bosses will now go to the International Investment Summit on Monday. Starmer, chancellor Rachel Reeves and business secretary Jonathan Reynolds are preparing to court big business at the conference.
Reeves and Reynolds supported “intense lobbying” from bosses to water down protections in the Employment Rights Bill.
Starmer is desperate to regain control after almost a month of scandals surrounding luxury gifts. Morgan McSweeney—a ruthless Labour right winger—was appointed as his chief of staff last week after Sue Grey was pushed out.
But the sense of panic remains for Labour and is opening up potential divisions. One ally of Haigh described the briefings as “disgraceful” and suggested the circle around the prime minister “are running out of friends.”
Labour’s support for big business is driving more tension with the unions, which had been more than willing to “give Labour a chance”.
Matt Wrack, FBU firefighters’ union general secretary, slammed Starmer’s criticism of Haigh as “unacceptable”. “Louise Haigh has the full support and solidarity of the FBU in setting out clear opposition to P&O and other rogue employers,” he said.
“Any backlash or briefing against Labour politicians and trade unionists who challenge or clamp down on firms that have been exploiting and abusing workers in that way is completely unacceptable, wherever it comes from.”
He added, “It’s outrageous that DP World is seeking to derail the extension of employment rights that Labour was voted into government to deliver.
“Rogue employers and corporate bullies cannot be allowed to hold a democratically elected government to ransom.”
A new YouGov poll this week showed that half of Labour voters are disappointed in Starmer’s government.
Starmer unpopularity goes deeper than the gifts scandal because Labour is committed to austerity mark 2 ahead of the budget on 30 October.
Labour MPs, including “soft left” figures such as Haigh, voted to keep children in poverty and snatch winter fuel payments from pensioners.
Earlier this week Wrack addressed an FBU rally of over 1,000 firefighters, who demanded Labour breaks with austerity.
He described the Labour government as an “opportunity” after 14 years of Tory rule. “The question is whether we seize that opportunity to fight for better conditions,” he said.
He warned “those who think it’s going to be easy under a Labour government”, pointing to the Tony Blair government’s attacks.
The Labour government is dashing hopes for what little change it promised, as it sucks up to bosses and prepares for a new round of austerity.
But struggle outside parliament—on the picket lines and streets—can win the transformative change working class people need. Let’s seize that opportunity by fighting back.
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