P&O Ferries boss acknowledges breaking rules in mass firings

The head of a Dubai government-owned ferry operator at the centre of a bitter labour dispute in the UK acknowledged on Thursday that the firm should have consulted with workers before firing 786 crew members but chose not to because it knew labour unions would never agree to the company's plans.

P & O Ferries Chief Executive Peter Hebblethwaite made the comments under repeated questions from lawmakers who characterised the company's actions as a willful decision to break UK labour law.

Hebblethwaite said the company was offering workers generous compensation after firing them without notice last week.

The company, which operates in Britain and is owned by a subsidiary of Dubai company DP World, dismissed the workers as part of a restructuring plan needed to save the business.

The fired workers will be replaced by cheaper staff provided by a third-party crew provider.

We assessed that given the fundamental nature of change, no union could accept it and therefore we chose not to consult because a consultation process would have been a sham,'' Hebblethwaite said. We didn't want to put anybody through that.