Luxury cruise line still ducking UK employment law

Three years after the government launched its Seafarers Plan in response to P&O Ferries’ notorious firing of 800 workers, UK based P&O Cruises (a separate company) is still hiring foreign workers under terms and conditions that fail to meet UK standards.

ATLEU is representing Catherine, a former employee of P&O Cruises who was sent back to the Philippines after being diagnosed with breast cancer, then summarily dismissed. The company also stopped covering her medical costs, which delayed the completion of her chemotherapy treatment.

Catherine is now bringing a claim to the employment tribunal for disability discrimination including the manner of her dismissal. ATLEU is arguing that she was a contract worker and so should have been protected from discriminatory treatment under the Equality Act 2010. Catherine now has to argue that the tribunal has jurisdiction to hear her complaint.

Carnival Corporation, the parent company of P&O Cruises, set up a company in Bermuda to employ staff while its ships are owned by the UK based P&O Cruises. This allows them to offer poorer terms and conditions as they only have to comply with the standards of the workers’ home country.

This also allows Carnival to undercut UK workers who are entitled to a minimum wage, limits on their working hours, and sickness and leave benefits. Instead, they are free to force Catherine and other non-UK staff to work seven days a week, for at least 10 hours a day, for less pay.

Catherine, former P&O Cruises worker:

‘This whole practice must STOP, of hiring Master’s degree students from the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia. Pakistan and India, exploiting them by making them work unlimited hours for a pittance of a wage and then sending them back home to die when they are injured at work or fall ill because of fatigue while working seven days a week for 7-10 months, without a single rest day.’

Jamila Duncan-Bosu, ATLEU solicitor:

‘Catherine’s experiences demonstrate that the government’s attempts to address the rogue behaviour of UK based cruise and shipping companies has failed. We continue to see overseas workers being exploited due to poorer labour laws in their home country and UK workers being bypassed to cut costs and increase profits.’

The Bristol Employment Tribunal will be considering in April 2026, whether they have jurisdiction to deal with Catherine’s complaints.