Yacht company layoffs 'don't add up', says MP

An MP has said a yacht company's decision to temporarily lay off 91 members of staff does not "add up".

Neil Duncan-Jordan, the Labour MP for Poole, said Sunseeker International previously told him it was doing well financially, and said the company needed to provide staff with more detail about why the layoffs were needed.

"If your order book is strong, why are you laying off nearly 100 workers before Christmas?" he said.

A spokesperson for Sunseeker said they had explained the situation to each affected employee, adding that keeping them informed was their "main priority".

The firm previously said that, although the "forward order book is still strong", the decision to lay off staff "focused on ensuring the long-term viability of operations".

Sunseeker announced the temporary layoffs in December, citing "restrictions in its supply chain".

On Friday, the company said 91 of its employees would continue to be laid off until 27 January.

The affected employees would be paid 50% of their hourly rate during their layoff period, the company said.

Mr Duncan-Jordan said the lack of specific detail on the reasons behind the layoffs raised questions.

He said: "What happens if they don't fix things by 27 January?

"Do these people then get extended leave? Do they then get laid off permanently?

"None of that's been answered."

He said the treatment of workers by Sunseeker was not "any way to treat staff in a modern workplace", and criticised the company's lack of communication with him.

"As a major employer in Poole, and as the MP in Poole, there should have been some liaison between the two of us," he said.

"I just think the way in which they've communicated with their employees is wrong, the timescale is wrong and I think the public and the MP for Poole has a right to know a bit more about how they're operating and why it's come to this."

You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.