P&O Ferries CEO acknowledges ignoring UK rules in firing 786

By DANICA KIRKA
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — The head of a ferry operator at the center of a bitter labor dispute stunned U.K. lawmakers when he acknowledged that the company chose to ignore the law and labor contracts when it fired 786 workers without consulting with them in advance. P&O Ferries Chief Executive Peter Hebblethwaite — under intense questioning from members of a parliamentary committee — said Thursday the company decided not to discuss its plans with workers because it knew labor unions would never agree. Lawmakers repeatedly characterized the move as a willful decision to break the law. The company, which operates in Britain and is owned by a subsidiary of Dubai-based DP World, dismissed the seafarers as part of a cost-cutting plan it says was necessary to save the business and 2,200 other jobs.