COMPENSATION FOR THE SACKED P&O STRIKERS OF 1988/89

Early day motion 654, tabled 4 February 2003 by Gwyn Prosser (Labour). Signed by 102 members.

That this House notes that 2003 is the 15th anniversary of the strike by P&O seafarers in Dover who fought for 14 months to retain conditions of service and protect safe manning standards in the wake of the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster; recalls that P&O's response, in breach of ILO Convention 87/9 was to sack the whole workforce of some 2,000 people without options of redundancy or recompense; believes that the strikers were unfairly dismissed; notes that the then opposition front bench and the Labour Party Conference supported the sacked seafarers in their efforts to gain justice and compensation; records that most of the proposals to cut crews which caused the strike were not adopted; applauds the tenacity of the sacked seafarers for their sustained campaign; recognises that other groups of victimised workers have been granted compensation; and calls on the Labour Government to help redress the wrongs and injustices which were imposed on the sacked P&O seafarers under the protection of previous Tory Governments.

Signatures by party: Labour 86, Labour/Co-operative 9, Liberal Democrat 7.