P&O Ferries boss who steered 800 sackings steps down

Peter Hebblethwaite – dubbed ‘Britain’s most hated boss’ for his use of fire and rehire tactics at P&O Ferries – is stepping down as chief executive of the company.

According to a statement given to the BBC, Hebblethwaite is resigning to “dedicate more time to family matters”.

In March 2022, the ferry operator, owned by DP World, sacked around 800 crew, only to replace them with cheaper agency workers.

The then transport secretary Grant Shapps called for Hebblethwaite to step down over his “brazen” attitude towards the law. At the time of the sackings, hundreds of people protested in Dover, Liverpool and Hull.

Facing a select committee of MPs later, he admitted that the sackings broke UK employment law but argued that unions would not have accepted the company’s plans to opt for a cheaper workforce.

After pressure from unions and politicians, the company offered a £36.5 million compensation package for affected workers, claiming this was the “largest compensation package in the marine sector”.

He told MPs that he was deeply sorry for the redundancies, but “we would not make that decision again”.

The P&O “fire and rehire” controversy led to greater scrutiny around the practice of dismissing workers and either rehiring them on less favourable arrangements, or replacing them with less expensive workers.

The upcoming Employment Rights Bill includes a ban on “unscrupulous” fire and rehire practices, although these have recently been amended to offer employers more leeway in certain situations.

In a statement, P&O Ferries said it “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.”

Hebblethwaite previously held senior positions at Sainsbury’s, Greene King, and Alliance Unichem before joining P&O Ferries in 2019. He became chief executive in 2021.

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