The controversial boss of P&O Ferries, who led the firm’s move to sack almost 800 workers and replace them with cheaper agency staff, is quitting.
P&O said chief executive Peter Hebblethwaite had announced plans to resign to “dedicate more time to family matters”.
The firm and its management was widely condemned in March 2022 when it sacked nearly 800 workers without consultation and replaced them with agency staff on lower wages.
Mr Hebblethwaite resisted widespread calls from ministers and trade unions to resign at the time after admitting to MPs that the company broke the law by not consulting with trade unions.
He 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.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union claimed Mr Hebblethwaite’s departure meant he had “effectively left the scene of a crime”, given an ongoing civil investigation by the Insolvency Service.
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.”
It is understood Mr Hebblethwaite will be leaving the post shortly.
P&O declined to give further information about the reasons for his departure or plans to appoint his successor.
The public and political outrage over the company’s mass sackings prompted the Government to bring in legislation to give workers greater protection and prevent a repeat of similar firings in the future.
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “We’re looking forward to a Hebblethwaite-free ferry industry where mandatory seafarer employment conditions, agreed with trade unions, are enforced and this corporate hatchet man is dumped in the bin of history.”
Mr Hebblethwaite was appointed to the top job at P&O Ferries in November 2021.
He previously acted as managing director of Ropax Ferry Services.
Before joining the ferry operator industry, he worked as a director of pub group Greene King for 15 years and also formerly held management roles at supermarket Sainsbury’s and the then Alliance Unichem.
