The millionaire head of shamed P&O Ferries declared “only the fittest survive” months before the cruel sacking of 800 workers, in comments blasted by a union boss.
Chief executive Peter Hebblethwaite made the remark last May after axing an initial 1,100 jobs in response to Covid.
The boss, who lives in a Cotswolds farmhouse set in six acres, said of the 2021 cull: “Only the fittest survive and we had to get fitter.”
He added: “My priority is still to grow our business through our people and our customers.”
He insisted there were “exciting times ahead”.
RMT chief Mick Lynch hit back at his comments on the “ P&O jobs massacre ”, saying they “drag employment practices in Britain back to the dark ages”.
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He added: “No worker is safe from being kicked from pillar to post if we don’t stand up and fight. The alternative is pure barbarism.”
On Thursday P&O sacked 800 more of its workers on the spot in a pre-recorded Zoom meeting – then replaced them with cheaper overseas labour. But travellers and holiday firms now threaten boycotts.
And the Government is facing calls to revoke P&O’s licence to run crossings to France, Holland and Ireland, with Labour forcing an emergency Commons vote on Monday.
Maritime union Nautilus International urged the Transport Secretary to axe P&O’s British waters licences.
Mr Hebblethwaite, 51, was among directors paid £2.6m in 2019 before his chat with Cruise & Ferry mag last year.
His firm’s parent company is Dubai-based DP World, controlled by the government of super-rich Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
DP World had record revenues of more than £8.2billion last year.
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Its annual report even dared to claim: “People are at the core of what we do.”
Mr Hebblethwaite also told Ferry Business magazine last summer service staff were “exceedingly important”.
The staff he was referring to now fear their redundancy payouts could be affected should they dare speak out.
Protests at the sackings were staged in ports across England and Northern Ireland yesterday. One travel agent has stopped taking P&O ferry bookings.
West Midlands-based Sutton Travel tweeted: “A disgraceful way to treat loyal and hardworking staff.”
In Hull, a sacked seaman who had been with the firm since leaving school warned: “The new crew don’t know the ship.
“God forbid something happened. They would be clueless.”
Labour is demanding the firm reinstate the staff and for all government contracts with DP World to be suspended.
The party claims P&O Ferries have received £38.3m in contracts since December 2018.
Last night the first P&O ferry since the sackings was set to sail between Liverpool and Dublin with its new crew.
P&O said the sackings were necessary, after losses of £100million in two years, to protect the remaining 2,200 staff.
