The questioning of P&O Ferries’ CEO following the mass sacking of 800 UK staff last week got off to the toughest possible start.
Darren Jones, the Labour MP who chairs the business select committee, kicked off the joint hearing of the transport and business committees by asking chief executive Peter Hebblethwaite: “Are you in this mess because you don’t know what you’re doing, or are you just a shameless criminal?”
It set the tone for a session in which the company was also accused of “absolute thuggery and criminality” by Andy McDonald, the former shadow transport secretary.
Mr Hebblethwaite responded to Mr Jones contritely in the wake of P&O Ferries’ decision to make its workforce redundant with immediate effect and replace them with cheaper agency staff.
The CEO said: “Before I answer that question can I start, please, with an apology? An apology to the seafarers who were affected on Thursday last week, an apology to their families, and an apology to the 2,200 of our employees who have had to face very difficult questions.”
The company was also accused of unlawfully implementing redundancies without prior consultation.
“There is absolutely no doubt that we were required to consult with the unions. We chose not to do that,” said Mr Hebblethwaite.
Andy McDonald, the former shadow transport secretary, asked: “You chose to break the law?”
Mr Hebblethwaite replied: “We chose not to consult, and we will compensate everybody in full for that.”
Mr McDonald asked: “Do you get in your car and drive down the motorway and see the 70mph sign and say, ‘That’s not going to apply to me, I’m going to do 90 because I think it’s important that I do that’? Is that how you go about your life?”
“No it isn’t,” Mr Hebblethwaite responded.
Mr McDonald added of the issuing of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to workers: “The members of this committee think this is absolute thuggery and criminality.
“You’re behaving like gangsters.”
