Executive pay | P&O boss netted 55% pay rise after controversial firing of 800 workers

Newly released documents indicate the chief executive of P&O Ferries earned a pay rise of at least 55% in 2023, amid public and parliamentary outcry surrounding his move to sack nearly 800 workers.

The jump in compensation saw ferry operator boss Peter Hebblethwaite take home £683,000 during the financial year, making him the highest-paid director at the firm.

Earlier in the financial year, Hebblethwaite faced calls from critics – among them then-Transport Secretary Grant Shapps – to step down from his role.

Why is P&O boss’s 2023 compensation package so controversial?

In 2022, P&O Ferries sparked outrage after firing 786 workers via a video message, replacing them with cheaper agency staff who are paid just £4.87 an hour, thanks to a legal loophole that allows them to be paid well below the UK’s minimum wage.