- Hebblethwaite has been dubbed ‘Britain’s most hated boss’ and ‘a pirate’
The controversial chief executive of P&O Ferries is stepping down three years after sacking hundreds of workers to replace them with cheaper staff.
Peter Hebblethwaite, who has been dubbed ‘Britain’s most hated boss’ and ‘a pirate’, is quitting the operator of the Dover to Calais ferry to ‘dedicate more time to family matters’.
The 54-year-old was widely condemned in March 2022 when P&O sacked nearly 800 workers without consultation and replaced them with agency staff on lower wages.
But Mr Hebblethwaite resisted widespread calls from ministers and trade unions to resign even after admitting to MPs that there was ‘absolutely no doubt that we were required to consult with unions’ over the job losses but ‘we chose not to do so’.
At the time, then Transport Secretary Grant Shapps accused P&O Ferries of ‘acting like pirates of the high sea’.
Mr Hebblethwaite also told Parliament the agency workers’ pay averaged £5.50 per hour.
This was below the UK’s national minimum wage at the time of £9.50 per hour, but P&O Ferries insisted it was in line with international maritime law.
Mr Hebblethwaite apologised to MPs for dismissing his staff and said ‘we would not make that decision again’
A spokesperson for P&O Ferries said: ‘Peter Hebblethwaite has communicated his intention to resign from his position as chief executive officer to dedicate more time to family matters.
‘P&O Ferries extends its gratitude to Peter Hebblethwaite for his contributions as CEO over the past four years.
‘During his tenure the company navigated the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, initiated a path towards financial stability, and introduced the world’s first large double-ended hybrid ferries on the Dover-Calais route, thereby enhancing sustainability.
‘We extend our best wishes to him for his future endeavours.’
At a Parliamentary hearing into workers’ rights last year, Mr Hebblethwaite apologised for dismissing his staff and said ‘we would not make that decision again’.
He also told MPs he would not be able to live on the hourly rate the agency crew were paid.
He hit the headlines again last month when it emerged his annual pay hit £715,000 including bonuses.
The mass sackings triggered protests by hundreds of people in Dover, Liverpool and Hull and prompted the government to change the law to prevent a repeat.
P&O Ferries, which is owned by the Dubai royal family and is part of DP World, carries 4.5million passengers a year on routes between the UK and European ports, such as Calais and Rotterdam.
It also operates between Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Mr Hebblethwaite was a high-flyer at firms including Sainsbury’s and Greene King before joining P&O Ferries in 2019. He was made chief executive in 2021.
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