A luxury yacht manufacturer has drawn sharp criticism after a wave of layoffs, prompting it to defend the decision.
According to the BBC, yacht builders Sunseeker announced that they were temporarily laying off over 100 workers in December, out of the 2,000 they employ in Dorset, England.
The company cited "cash flow issues" that were caused by supply chain shortages as the primary reason for the layoffs. They did note that employees would be able to maintain their service record should they be re-hired, and would continue to receive non-monetary benefits from employment during their time away from the company.
The move drew immediate criticism from members of Parliament and Unite the Union, who said the timing of the decision (just before Christmas) could not have been worse.
"Sunseeker makes multi-million pound superyachts for the ultra-wealthy yet it's treating its workers like the worst Victorian industrialists," said Unite the Union regional officer Janet Wall. "It simply beggars belief that it has chosen the week before Christmas to make this notice and is simply kicking workers out the door with no notice and barely any pay."
Neil Duncan-Jordan, the MP for Dorset, was equally livid over the "outrageous" decision.
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"Can you imagine any company thinking a few days before Christmas this is a good way to treat their staff?" Duncan-Jordan said. "[Sunseeker] make great play of the fact that they're a family company…at Christmas, this is not how you treat your family."
Superyachts like the ones built by Sunseeker have drawn immense criticism in recent years. Oceano, the company that built Jeff Bezos' massive vessel, was fined for using illegal timber in the construction of the craft.
Two other shipyards have drawn massive criticism after declaring bankruptcy, leaving employees in the lurch. And Maine has been debating levying a tax on superyachts and their owners, citing their massive carbon output as a primary cause.
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Their environmental impact cannot be overstated. According to CleanTechnica, the 300 largest yachts in the world release 285,000 pounds of carbon pollution every year.
While it is heartbreaking to hear that these workers were callously laid off right before the holidays, it's hard to feel too badly for the company's owners if sales dip.
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