P&O employee, James, told the BBC he felt abandoned by the company: "It was a complete surprise. I would have understood if it was at the height of Covid, but now we're seeing the end of travel restrictions and the start of summer bookings. So this has come completely out of the blue," he said.
P&O has since been heavily criticised for its insensitive approach, with Jayne Harrison, Head of Employment Law at Richard Nelson LLP, warning that the British cruise company may soon be faced with a mass of lawsuits.
“If the employee has two years of continuous service, they could claim unfair dismissal if an employer has not consulted with them about the redundancy. Legal advice should be sought,” Harrison explains. “A tribunal can award up to 52 weeks gross pay compensation for the compensatory award in an unfair dismissal case. The employee may well have additional claims for their redundancy payment, notice, and protective award for failing to inform and consult.”
