Case
Teaching Notes
Abstract
When a British ferry company suddenly axed 800 employees at no notice, lawmakers across both sides of the political divide lambasted the company for egregiously violating British labor law. P&O Ferries, which was planning to replace its workers with much cheaper contract labor, claimed it was forced to make such a drastic move in order to protect its business, which was mired in financial loss. This case asks students to discuss P&O’s decision to break the law by imposing the layoffs and to advise on the company’s next steps as it faces the repercussions.
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