In a tense and confrontational session, P&O Ferries Chief Executive Peter Hebblethwaite was hauled before a committee of shocked MPs to answer for the company's decision to summarily dismiss nearly 800 UK-based crew members.
The business boss openly admitted to breaking employment law, stating that consulting with unions would have been "futile" as the company had already made its final decision. This brazen defence left MPs from across the political spectrum stunned and angered.
Government Condemnation and Calls for Action
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps lambasted the company's actions as "wholly unacceptable" and urged P&O to reconsider. He confirmed the government is reviewing its relationship with the ferry giant, including all future contracts, and is exploring a range of legal options.
Mr Shapps has written to the Insolvency Service, urging it to consider disqualifying Mr Hebblethwaite from acting as a company director. The government is also preparing a package of measures to close legal loopholes and prevent such actions from happening again.
Union Fury and Worker Outrage
The RMT union has been at the forefront of the outcry, organising protests and demanding severe consequences for what it labels a "brazen attack on British workers." The union has called for the immediate reinstatement of all sacked staff and for the government to take decisive action to protect workers' rights.
The sacked employees were replaced with agency workers who will be paid significantly lower wages, well below the UK minimum wage, a move that has intensified criticism of the company's ethics.
Broader Business Backlash
The fallout has extended beyond P&O, causing significant reputational damage to its parent company, DP World. Industry leaders, including the CEO of pub chain Greene King, have publicly criticised the move, warning it undermines the hard-won trust between businesses and their employees.
The business secretary is now expected to bring forward a new statutory code of practice to strengthen the legal framework protecting employees from such dismissals, ensuring this scandal becomes a watershed moment for UK employment rights.
