Keith Davis

Seafaring staff at P& O Ferries were told by video message that 800 of them were being sacked immediately as their ships returned to port. The decision has sparked angry protests from staff on ship and shore.

Darren Proctor , national secretary for the RMT union, says he woke up to a flurry of messages from people worried about what The Company was about to announce.

Heading down to Dover, he was told that coaches with private Security Guards were travelling to the P& O port on the South Coast of England, as well as Hull, Larne and Cairnryan. " They had to be handcuff-trained, " he says.

Then at 11:10 GMT, their Worst Fears were confirmed: 800 staff were told they were immediately redundant.

Mr Proctor says some staff remain on the three ships at Dover, but some have left and security staff have boarded to try and put their replacements in post.

James, a steward on board The Spirit of France ferry at Dover, was on a Day Off when he heard the redundancy announcement.

He was texted half an hour before the three-minute video from P& O management.

" It feels like we have been abandoned by The Company , only a few days ago they were ordering new uniforms and giving us All a pay rise and now, completely out The Blue , they have sacked us, " He Said .

James, who did not want to give his surname, said staff were told that they would be given a " generous severance package" in the video message but staff were not able to ask questions after The Call and no details about redundancy pay were given.

" How they expect to run an entire fleet of ships with fresh, inexperienced crew I will never know - it won't be smooth sailing, " he says.

On board The Pride of Hull, staff are staying put after The Shock announcement.

Gary Jackson, an RMT officer who is on board The Ship in Hull's King George Dock, said replacement junior staff were currently parked outside The Port waiting to get on board, while another van held what he believed were security staff.

" The Captain has raised the gangway so No One can get on or off The Ship until we get guarantees about Our Futures , " He Said .

Asked by The Bbc how long they intended to stay on board The Pride of Hull, staff said: " As long as it takes. "

The stand-off meant some other workers on board The Ship were also trapped.

Keith Davis had been repairing some kitchen equipment with eight other contractors when The Captain lifted the gangway. " We're being held against our will" He Said .

Later on Thursday, the stern doors of The Pride of Hull were seen to open and a few vehicles came off.

Dozens of workers also blocked roads at Dover in protest, with some clashing with motorists as they stood in The Road with banners and flags saying: " Stop the P& O Jobs carve-up".

Some insisted they would not move until The Police came to take them away.

One 54-year-old man, who has worked in ferry engine rooms since the 1980s, told the PA news agency: " I'm fuming, to be honest With You . I've known people who've been with The Firm for years - this is no way to treat people.

" It was just a short message This Morning saying you've All lost a job, basically - All this service for nothing. "

The protesting members of staff want P& O Ferries to begin talks with them over their jobs, but the RMT national secretary Mr Proctor says: " This is a company that doesn't want to negotiate at All , there's been no dialogue with them whatsoever and they've obviously been organising this for a long time. "

Asked if it was true, as The Company suggested, that P& O management had no choice, He Said it had been financially mismanaged for years.

" They've chosen to go for the jugular of UK seafaring, " he says.

Now staff want support from MPs and government and they are trying to drum up international backing from workers in foreign ports.

" If they can do it here, they can do it at another site and that can't be allowed to happen, " says Mr Proctor.

Source of news: bbc.com