A fightback is needed against the way P&O sacked its staff to prevent a "dangerous precedent."

That's the message from John Lansdown, one of nearly 800 workers dismissed at Dover, who is now suing the company for unfair dismissal.

He is seeking financial compensation and exemplary damages of up to £76m to "deter" P&O Ferries or its parent company DP World from doing the same in future.

Mr Lansdown said: "The actions of P&O Ferries have upended the lives of 800 loyal and dedicated seafarers and their families.

"Their grotesque disregard for due process in this country will set a dangerous precedent if allowed to stand.

"The tribunal claim I have filed is intended to bring Peter Hebblethwaite and those responsible at P&O Ferries to justice."

The staff, nearly 600 based in Dover, were dismissed without warning on March 17.

Seven days later P&O Ferries chief executive Peter Hebblethwaite acknowledged at a joint hearing of the Commons’ business and transport committees that his company broke employment law by not consulting trade unions before sacking the workers.

Mr Lansdown continued: "Everyone in this country has a vested interest in not allowing the unscrupulous actions of P&O Ferries to stand.

"Every just and fair-minded person in this country is asked to support my campaign for justice both for myself and all other affected seafarers both now and in the future, and their families.

"The RMT union has taken a lead in representing the dissatisfaction felt by the workers and I anticipate that the relevant unions will also be issuing a tribunal claim for the protective awards both for myself and other affected members.

"I ask them to continue to support the campaign for justice that we are all seeking to achieve."

Mr Lansdown, who had been a sous (second in command) chef based on the Pride of Canterbury, is suing the company for unfair dismissal, racial discrimination and harassment.

He accuses P&O of treating him unfavourably as he is British and eligible for minimum wage.

Mr Hebbelthwaite had admitted to the Parliamentary committee on March 24 that the foreign workers who replaced the 786 sacked staff were paid on average £5.50 an hour.

The UK National Minimum Wage became £9.50 on April 1 but Mr Hebblethwaite had said that P&O's payments were covered by international maritime law.

Mr Lansdown has filed a tribunal claim against the company and its chief executive, and is seeking financial compensation and punitive damages of up to £76 million.

He is the only seafarer out of those laid off to do this and was the only one not to sign a redundancy agreement with the company, making him feel free to speak out.

"This is about every working person in UK plc..."

Mr Lansdown, who is 39 and lives in Herne Bay, says the stance he has taken means he has missed out on a full redundancy payoff for him of nearly £30,000.

He explained to Kent Online: "You don't get anywhere without making sacrifices. This is about every working person in UK plc. Somebody has to take a stand and it only needs one of the 800 of us to do it in this way."

P&O ships have not sailed from Dover since the sackings and two, the Pride of Kent at Dover, and European Causeway in Northern Ireland, were impounded by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

A spokesman for P&O Ferries in response to Mr Lansdown's action said: “Staff involved in the redundancies remained professional, sympathetic and calm in a challenging situation for everyone, trying to ensure the safety of all the people on board the ships. There was no harassment.

"The decision by P&O Ferries to make seafarers redundant was categorically not based on race or the nationality of the staff involved. We have apologised to the people affected and their families for the impact it’s had on them, and also to the 2,200 people who still work for P&O and will have been asked a lot of difficult questions about this.

"We took this difficult decision as a last resort and only after full consideration of all other options but, ultimately, we concluded that the business wouldn’t survive without fundamentally changed crewing arrangements, which in turn would inevitably result in redundancies.

"We have offered enhanced severance terms to those affected to properly and promptly compensate them for the lack of warning and consultation – all staff offered these terms except Mr Lansdown have accepted this offer.

"The business was losing £100 million a year, and no shareholder would be able to continually finance that year on year. P&O Ferries needed fundamental change to make it viable – we knew this decision was the only way to save the business.”