The historic port city has 300 years of interconnected ships and P&O’s workforce has borne the brunt of what RMT has described as “one of the most shameful acts in the history of British labor relations”. About half of the sailors fired without ceremony by the company on March 17 are believed to live in Dover and the surrounding Kent area. The employees in the agencies with which they were replaced are paid less than the minimum wage. However, despite the fact that Transport Secretary Grand Saps promised to force P&O Ferries to re-hire those who were fired, all but one employee accepted the terms of the dismissal and were forced to sign silence orders. The agreements, which were due to be signed by March 31, are preventing employees from taking legal action against P&O. Some of those who were fired told me that they felt “betrayed” and that they would not have taken back their old jobs anyway. Others blamed the government for failing to do so, backing down from taking legal action against P&O Ferries boss Peter Hebblethwaite before the Insolvency Service announced it would investigate. John Lansdown, 39, had worked as a sous chef at Pride Of Canterbury, serving for 15 years with P&O Ferries, but declined terms of almost .000 30,000 or signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). He is the only employee who refused the controversial payment. John Lansdown has rejected a .000 30,000 redundancy package with P&O Ferries Mr Lansdown, who believes the layoffs would be “catastrophic” for Dover, told i: “I’m taking a stand against it. Someone has to keep talking. It is a matter of principle. “There is a line called right and wrong, and what these people have done is wrong. I know which side of this line I’m on. “We can do a lot of good here with a person who keeps talking openly. “If they gag me, that’s it.” Mr Lansdown, a member of the RMT union, said he intended to take legal action against P&O Ferries “and others” and said he “hoped the union would take serious action”. It was at Pride of Canterbury when security guards boarded on the day of the dismissal and the surprised workers were ordered to leave. However, 15 days later he had not yet taken back his belongings, “adding an insult to the injury”. He added: “Dover is fighting as he is. This will have a devastating effect not only on Dover, but on all those other port cities across the country that are affected by it. “Six hundred worked in Dover,” he said. “I feel betrayed. I was so proud to work for P&O, we have such a proud story. “A man like Peter Hebblethwaite and his board have ruined his reputation for a morning job.” Mr. Lansdown claimed that the head of P&O Ferries “denies his actions”. Demonstration against the dismissal of P&O Ferries employees organized by the RMT union in the port of Dover (Photo: PA) He added: “He is guilty of plotting this tragic adventure. “He is hated in this country and he has managed to anger the whole British public.” A former employee, who did not want to be named, said they were “devastated” by the dismissal. “All these years just passed with the stroke of a pen or the push of a button,” they said. “It was a way of life. You were with people you actually lived with, it was your second family. And now it just is not there. “Many children have been offered jobs and many children have already found work. Whether I will return to the sea, I do not know. It was the only job I ever wanted. And now I have nothing. ” They added: “This will have a huge impact on the city and the surrounding areas. “In the same way the miners went on strike when all the pits were closed, and you see the deprivation coming in, and you see the increase in alcoholism and drug abuse because people are looking for something to ease the pain. “The young people to whom they sold a dream, you will be the future of the company and you will see what they have done.” They said that one of their colleagues had saved for a down payment on a house for three years and had just achieved his goal when he lost his job. “He lived on his dad’s couch for the last three years and has just lost everything.”

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The worker, who had not yet found an alternative job, said Mr Saps had “failed” in his request for P&O Ferries to re-employ the laid-off workers. “Boris Johnson failed. “He said he was going to hold them accountable and prosecute them and he did nothing,” they added. The Prime Minister had told Parliament that the government “will take them to court, we will defend the rights of British workers; P&O obviously is not going to get away with it”. But last week Mr Saps admitted: “The government is not in a position to take legal action.” Days later, the Insolvency Service placed P&O Ferries under criminal and political investigation into the circumstances surrounding the redundancies. Following the layoffs, companies including easyJet advertised offers to P&O Ferries postal employees. Many are said to have gotten involved with rival ferry companies DFDS and Eurotunnel. Some senior officers and executives have reportedly accepted offers to return, with some offering 20 20,000 bonuses to be re-hired. But even among those who have found new jobs, dissatisfaction with their treatment remains. One worker, who found another job and did not want to be named, said: “Most of us do not want to go back because of the way we were treated. I know many have returned. “They are basically being asked by the company to take them back. They took the money and it is [put] in dealership contracts. They are mainly officers and managers. “The community was amazing. “Many of us have managed to find a job within a week.” Locals are still disgusted with what happened, the worker said. “They say they will not travel with P&O again. Peter Hebblethwaite is a disgrace. He must resign. He has done this huge mess. Workers on P&O ship with the Spirit of Britain anchored in Dover (Photo: Getty) “So you lost your job, you do not even have the opportunity to say goodbye to anyone. Take your things and leave. “ Community support for the fired workers is as steady as the famous white cliffs guarding the city. Posters urging P&O boycotts to resist job cuts are sitting in store windows. “It’s absolutely disgusting,” said Robin Burkhardt, 55, owner of The Old Curiosity Shop. “I knew a lady who worked there for 20 years. I saw her the day it was announced. “She was completely devastated. He had no idea what was going on. The locals are excited about P&O and what they have done. “From what I can understand, no one locally wants to travel with P&O again. I would never use P&O. “ Kevin Gilchrist, 63, who works at Bill’s Bait and Tackle, said there were fears about the jobs of other P&O staff working on land after the sailors were fired. He said: “The way they were treated is horrible. I’m a former miner. Thatcher treated us the same. “He made the media go against us saying we were looking for more money, but we hoped to keep the pits open. I will definitely boycott P&O. I will never use them again. “My daughter works for P&O, she is on the shore. Thinking, who will be next? Will they start attacking people in the offices? “If they get away with it, they will continue.”