The head of a ferry operator at the center of a bitter labor dispute stunned U.K. lawmakers Thursday 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 said while under intense questioning from members of a parliamentary committee that 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.
