The boss of P&O Ferries should resign following his admission this morning that his company chose to break the law about consulting the workforce about redundancies, according to the chair of the Commons transport committee.
Chief Executive Officer Peter Hebblethwaite told MPs on Thursday that the company didn’t consult unions before abruptly firing 800 employees as it knew they wouldn’t approve of the sackings.
“It’s untenable to come to parliament say you decided to break the law, you have no regrets,’’ said transport committee chair. Huw Merriman.
Hebblethwaite “needs to consider his position,’’ he added.
The P&O ferries boss added to the furore surrounding the shipping company after he admitted he receives a £325,000 base salary, is in contention for two bonus schemes and is undecided on whether to accept.
When questioned on bonuses by MPs Hebblethwaite commented, "I can't tell you how far that is from my thoughts."
"I don't know the answer to that. I don't know," he added, which brought uproar among MPs on the prospect that he might accept potential bonuses.
He also said that the company’s average hourly pay for new workers is £5.15 an hour, which lags behind the minimum wage. When asked if he could survive on that, he failed to respond.
Under the new operating model, the company sought to halve its costs, though bookings are down following the recent events, he added.