P&O Ferries boss acknowledges breaking rules in mass firings

LONDON (AP) — The head of a Dubai government-owned ferry operator at the center of a bitter labor dispute in the U.K. has acknowledged that the firm should have consulted with workers before firing 786 crew members but chose not to because it knew labor unions would never agree to the company’s plans. P&O Ferries Chief Executive Peter Hebblethwaite made the comments Thursday under repeated questions from lawmakers who characterized the company’s actions as a willful decision to break U.K. labor law. Hebblethwaite said the company is offering workers generous compensation after firing them without notice last week.