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Calais crisis: Government holds emergency Cobra meeting over French strikers and migrants Calais crisis: Breakthrough in strike talks allows some ferries to resume service
(about 4 hours later)
The Government held an emergency Cobra meeting as the Calais ferry strike entered its fourth day, putting a labour dispute by French workers on a par with terrorist attacks and foot-and-mouth disease as threats to the nation. Huge queues of lorries on both sides of the English Channel begun to move after just over half the usual number of ferries started sailing between Dover and Calais.
With thousands of lorries queuing across the Kent countryside, Tim Waggott, chief executive of the Port of Dover, said the disruption to services was costing the UK economy at least £250m a day. Calais had been closed to most ferry traffic for four days because of a strike by French ferry workers – a situation that prompted the Government to hold an emergency Cobra meeting, putting a labour dispute on a par with terrorist attacks and foot-and-mouth disease as threats to the nation.
More than 3,000 truckers were parked on the M20 in Kent for a fourth day as the partial closure of the Port of Calais continued to cripple Channel crossings. Tim Waggott, chief executive of the Port of Dover, warned that the disruption to services was costing the UK economy at least £250m a day.
The Road Haulage Association called for armed forces to break the strike – if that was necessary to restore crossings – warning that jobs were at risk. However, following a meeting between French government ministers and union officials, there was a breakthrough that enabled Calais to open two berths for P&O vessels despite the industrial action by MyFerryLink staff over expected job cuts.
Lorries parked along the M20 at Ashford, Kent (Getty)Lorries parked along the M20 at Ashford, Kent (Getty)
The Cobra meeting was chaired by Cabinet minister Oliver Letwin with the Home Secretary Theresa May in Paris to meet her French counterpart, Bernard Cazeneuve. Queues of up to 7,000 lorries have built up in Kent, but P&O said it should be able to clear the backlog within two days. The Port of Dover said there were still no sailings to Calais by MyFerryLink and DFDS Seaways, the other main ferry operator. DFDS was however running services to Dunkirk.
They issued a joint statement which said they had “emphasised the importance of a rapid resumption of maritime and rail traffic, which is indispensable to economic development on both sides of the Channel”. The Cobra meeting was chaired by Oliver Letwin, the Minister for Government Policy. The Home Secretary, Theresa May, was in Paris to meet her French counterpart, Bernard Cazeneuve.
However, the main point of the meeting was to discuss thousands of migrants who have been attempting to cross the Channel by hiding on lorries and other vehicles. Ms May and Mr Cazeneuve issued a joint statement which said they had “emphasised the importance of a rapid resumption of maritime and rail traffic, which is indispensable to economic development on both sides of the Channel”.
The main point of the meeting was to discuss thousands of migrants who have been attempting to cross the Channel by hiding on lorries and other vehicles, a problem made worse by the traffic jam on the French side.
Ms May agreed that the UK would pay more money into a £10.6m fund designed to increase security at the Port of Calais.Ms May agreed that the UK would pay more money into a £10.6m fund designed to increase security at the Port of Calais.
“This will enable the installation of additional essential arrangements to prevent access to the port via the beach, but also to secure access to the Channel Tunnel, where incidents have taken place repeatedly over the past weeks,” they said.“This will enable the installation of additional essential arrangements to prevent access to the port via the beach, but also to secure access to the Channel Tunnel, where incidents have taken place repeatedly over the past weeks,” they said.
An information campaign “to inform migrants of the reality of Great Britain’s asylum and benefits system, to reduce the flow of migrants to Calais” will also be stepped up. A campaign “to inform migrants of the reality of Great Britain’s asylum and benefits system, to reduce the flow of migrants to Calais” will also be stepped up.
Some of the migrants have been taking advantage of the standing queues of lorries on the French side to try to find a place to hide on vehicles, while some drivers have complained of being besieged. Dan Bridget, a spokesman for P&O Ferries, said its services would be operating normally on Friday with 25 round trips a day between Dover and Calais. “We’re delighted to be back to business as usual,” he said. “I think the numbers of lorries waiting in [Kent] has been oscillating between 3,000 and 7,000. In the worst-case scenario, it will take us two days to move that freight.”
Richard Burnett, chief executive of the Road Haulage Association, said the situation was “absolute mayhem”. Earlier Richard Burnett, chief executive of the Road Haulage Association, had said the situation was “absolute mayhem”.
“The time for talking around the table has passed. The UK and French governments must acknowledge their responsibilities to all Port of Calais users, move in and act,” he said. “If this means deployment of the armed forces then so be it.”
And Dan Bridget, a spokesman for P&O Ferries, told BBC Radio 4’s World At One: “The French authorities have legal obligations to keep the port open. It’s the biggest port in France, you’d expect them to do that. We are still urging them to move more quickly to open the port.
“We’re a cross-Channel ferry operator and for two days this week we haven’t been able to operate cross-Channel ferries, so clearly it’s not an ideal situation.”
He warned there would “clearly be knock-on effects for the British economy as a whole” if the strike was allowed to continue.