P&O has announced what it claims is “the biggest compensation package” in maritime history worth £36.5m, with 40 staff getting more than £100,000.

The under-fire cross Channel operator says 575 of the 786 sacked staff are in discussions to take up the offer.

Pay-outs are linked to the period of service and in some cases are more than £170,000, it said in a press release this afternoon.

The company, owned by Dubai-based DP world, sacked 786 staff over Zoom last week and then sent handcuff-trained security guards to escort them off the ships.

P&O says it is paying 2.5 weeks’ uncapped salary for each year employed "rather than the statutory 1 or 1.5 weeks" (capped at £544).

It will also give sacked staff:

• Up to 13 weeks’ salary in lieu of notice
• 13 weeks’ salary on top of this in absence of consultation period

And says some staff are receiving 91 weeks’ pay "and the chance of new employment"

P&O says no employee will receive less than £15,000.

A spokesman said: “This has been an incredibly tough decision for the business: to make this choice or face taking the company into administration.

“This would have meant the loss of 3,000 jobs and the end of P&O Ferries.

“In making this hard choice, we have guaranteed the future viability of P&O Ferries, avoided large-scale and lengthy disruption, and secured Britain’s trading capacity.”

In response to the packages, Maritime Union RMT tonight slammed what it described as a "disgusting statement" from P&O Ferries trying to justify one of the most shameful acts by any employer in recent history.

General Secretary Mick Lynch said: "These are the actions of a bully trying to maximise profits by sacking workers and replacing them with agency staff below the minimum wage.

"The detail of what the company is imposing is not new. The 2.5 weeks is what we have negotiated in the past with P&O.

"The pay in lieu of notice is not compensation, it is just a payment staff are contractually entitled to as there was no notice given.

"The way that the package has been structured is pure blackmail and threats– that if staff do not sign up and give away their jobs and their legal right to take the company to an employment tribunal they will receive a fraction of the amount put to them.

"The actions of P&O demonstrate the weakness of employment law and protections in the UK.

"P&O have flagrantly breached the law and abandoned any standards of workplace decency.

"They have ripped away the jobs, careers and pensions of our members and thrown them on the dole with the threat that if they do not sign up and give away their rights they will lose many thousands of pounds in payments.

"This is totally unacceptable and RMT will continue to campaign for our members to be reinstated at P&O and for better employment laws to protect all British workers.‎"

Yesterday, the Rail, Maritime and Transport union claimed Indian agency staff are being paid £1.81 an hour to do the same jobs many of the 786 did – the minimum wage for an apprentice in the UK is £4.30 but will go up to £4.81 in April while the majority of workers must earn at least £8.91 (increasing to £9.50).

Members of the RMT union and numerous other groups came together in Dover on Friday to protest against the job losses.

While taking part, Natalie Elphicke, the MP for Dover, said she was bullied and abused by 'left-wing militants'.

While at the RMT headquarters in Snargate Street, Ms Elphicke was heckled by protesters, who chanted "Shame on you," and "you're on the bosses' side" to which she responded "I stand with the workers".

P&O ferries haven't sailed to France since last Thursday's shock move and it says it is losing £1m a day.

Operation Brock has been deployed to deal with the mounting traffic problems, while Eurotunnel is experiencing delays of more than an hour due to demand.

P&O had been given until 5pm to explain its behaviour to the government and the Department for Business says it has had a response and will review the company’s explanations.

The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate will also investigate the agency workers’ contracts.

Separately chief executive Peter Hebblethwaite has been invited to appear before a joint session of the Transport and Business Committees on Thursday.

During talks politicians also suggested stripping the ferry of its Pride of Kent title and renaming it the "shame of Dubai".

Yesterday, Labour called for criminal action against P&O and said the government knew about the sackings in advance but "sat on its hands".

Read more: Where did it all go wrong for the once mighty P&O?