The chief executive described as \u201cBritain\u2019s most hated boss\u201d after sacking almost 800 workers at P&O Ferries is to leave the company.<\/p>\n
Peter Hebblethwaite prompted outrage in 2022 after P&O Ferries dismissed 786 staff<\/a> and replaced them with low-paid agency workers, who received considerably less than the UK minimum wage.<\/p>\n At the time the cross-Channel ferry company was accused of operating like \u201cpirates of the high sea\u201d<\/a> and during questioning at a parliamentary hearing Darren Jones, then chair of the business committee, asked: \u201cAre you in this mess because you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing, or are you just a shameless criminal?\u201d<\/p>\n Hebblethwaite always said his actions were the only way of saving the ferry group from going bust. No criminal charges were brought after the sackings.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for P&O Ferries, a subsidiary of the Dubai-based ports operator DP World, said: \u201cPeter 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.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring his tenure the company navigated the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, initiated a path towards financial stability, and introduced the world\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The change of management at P&O Ferries, which was first reported by Sky News, follows the company wrestling with its governance after twice failing to publish its annual accounts on time, which is technically a criminal offence<\/a>.<\/p>\n The ferry operator\u2019s 2022 accounts were almost 11 months late<\/a> when they were belatedly published in November last year and showed that the company spent more than \u00a347m on jettisoning its UK seafarers.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, it emerged that P&O had hired a tiny four-person auditing firm to replace KPMG<\/a>, one of the \u201cBig Four\u201d accountancy firms, which resigned from approving its annual accounts in March.<\/p>\n When P&O Ferries\u2019 2023 accounts were finally published in July, they revealed that Hebblethwaite had been paid \u00a3683,000<\/a> in the financial year after making the controversial dismissals, a pay rise of at least 55% that included a \u00a3183,000 bonus.<\/p>\n \u201cI reflected on accepting that payment, but ultimately I did decide to accept it,\u201d Hebblethwaite told MPs. \u201cI do recognise it is not a decision that everybody would have made.\u201d<\/p>\n The increased remuneration contrasted sharply with the pay that had been received by seafarers onboard the company\u2019s ferries.<\/p>\n In 2022, the businessman told parliamentarians that the lowest-paid agency worker would receive \u00a35.15 an hour, only for a Guardian and ITV News investigation in March 2024<\/a> to reveal how some seafarers were receiving an hourly rate as low as \u00a34.87.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Business Today<\/p>\n Get set for the working day \u2013 we’ll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Hebblethwaite was recalled to appear in front of another select committee hearing two months after the expose and conceded that \u201cthe lowest, fully consolidated hourly pay is about \u00a34.87\u201d. When the Guardian and ITV News had previously asked P&O about the \u00a34.87 an hour figure, a spokesperson had said: \u201cWe do not recognise the pay rates that you are referencing. No member of our crew on our Dover-Calais vessels earns less than $2,400 per month, equivalent to \u00a35.20 per hour.\u201d<\/p>\n The company was able to pay rates considerably below the UK minimum wage because maritime workers, employed by an overseas agency who work on foreign-registered ships in international waters, were exempt from the relevant legislation. As P&O used that specific model, the level of pay on board its vessels was legal.<\/p>\n However, last year new legislation in the UK and France became active<\/a>. Pay rates are understood to have risen onboard P&O vessels since.<\/p>\n