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P&O Ferries owner DP World slammed after recording profits

THE owner of P&O Ferries has got off “scot-free” over his firing of 800 workers after the firm reported record profits today, TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said.

DP World announced that it had made a profit of $884 million (£736m) over the six months to the end of June.

The increase of more than 51 per cent over the year came as the business said it had focused on shipping cargo with higher profit margins.

Ms O’Grady called on the government to scrap all its contracts with DP World.

“DP World have been allowed to get away scot-free with behaving like corporate gangsters,” she said.

“These eye-watering profits have come off the back of P&O illegally sacking hundreds of dedicated staff. They are an insult to common decency.

“Ministers should have stripped DP World of all their lucrative public contracts and severed all commercial ties with the company.

“But now they too are using the P&O playbook.

“Having slammed P&O for replacing experienced workers with agency staff, [Transport Secretary] Grant Shapps has passed laws that will allow employers to bus in agency workers during strikes.

“At a time when the cost of living is soaring and wages are falling, the Conservative government wants to make it much harder for people to win better pay and conditions.”

P&O Ferries sparked public anger and was hauled in front of MPs to answer questions when it sacked hundreds of workers without notice in March.

During the hearings in Parliament, the business admitted that it had broken the law that would have forced them to give notice of the firings.

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