Skip to main content
UN watchdog slams Tories over failures to act on the P&O Ferries scandal
People take part in a demonstration against the dismissal of P&O workers organised by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at the P&O ferry terminal in Dover, Kent, March 26, 2022

THE United Nations workers’ rights watchdog has rebuked the government over its failures on the P&O Ferries scandal and called for a strengthening of employee protections.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) urged the Tories to increase sanctions for companies that ignore the law and to ensure that workers can get their jobs back.

Nearly 800 seafarers were sacked illegally by the firm last March, with foreign agency staff lined up to take their place.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
A women's protest
Features / 5 September 2026
5 September 2026

Our priority must be to defend hard-won protections while linking equality law to trade union power and wider social transformation, says MARY DAVIS, on behalf of the Women’s Liberation Alliance

Monica Lennon with Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander at the launch of the Scottish Labour party’s 2026 Scottish Parliament election campaign in Glasgow, March 26 2026
Features / 6 August 2026
6 August 2026

To govern again, we must first earn back the confidence of the people who founded our movement

UNION RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS: St Mungo's workers outside the homeless charity's head quarters in Tower Hill, London, as they start a month long strike over pay, May 2023
Workers' Rights / 21 March 2026
21 March 2026

The unions are unhappy with the Employment Rights Act 2025 and with good reason. KEITH EWING and Lord JOHN HENDY KC take a close look at why the Bill promised more than it delivered