The company sparked public outrage and was dragged before MPs to answer questions when it sacked hundreds of workers without warning in March. Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng had asked the Insolvency Service to investigate whether criminal or civil offenses had been committed. However, in a statement, the government agency said it had decided there was no “realistic prospect of conviction”. A spokesman said: “Following a full and robust criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the employees who were dismissed by P&O Ferries, we have concluded that we will not initiate criminal proceedings.” The political investigation is ongoing. Tory MP Huw Merriman, who chairs the Commons transport committee, called for legislation to ensure a company like P&O could not do the same thing again. “Shame on P&O, but shame will be on parliament if we don’t fix this and stop it happening again,” Merriman said. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The law is not strong enough and as MPs we need to legislate to make sure it is. Nautilus International, a union representing shipping professionals, said the Insolvency Service’s decision would be a blow to “dismissed” workers. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. General Secretary Mark Dickinson said: “This is a deeply disappointing decision and will be met with disappointment and anger by the 786 seafarers and their families who have been so cruelly rejected by P&O Ferries. “Just one day after parent company P&O Ferries announced record profits, casting doubt on the company’s claims of operational viability, we are further frustrated by a system that fails to punish blatantly criminal corporatism. “The message is clear, P&O Ferries must be held to account for their disgraceful actions and we will continue to campaign to ensure that the CEO and his fellow directors are held to account and to make sure this never happens again.” During parliamentary hearings, the company admitted it had broken the law that would have forced them to give notice of layoffs. That was because no union would have accepted his new proposals, bosses said at the time. Labor accused the government of breaking its promise to hold P&O to account and warned of a repeat of mass redundancies. Shadow Labor Rights Minister Justin Manders said: “For all the hand-wringing of Tory ministers, they have broken the promises they made after P&O’s outrageous behavior and instead changed the law to open the door for others to follow in their passage elsewhere. “This result is a sign of a damaged economy under the Tories and the fundamental weakness of job protection under their government.” A government spokesman told the BBC: “In making 800 dedicated workers redundant on the ground, P&O Ferries has not only acted harshly, but has failed to maintain the high standards we expect from British businesses. “Given their appalling behaviour, it is very disappointing that the company will not face criminal proceedings.”
