To get your cards is to be fired.

In Britain every worker had a National Insurance Card, which he handed to his new employer. Each week the employer had to buy a Social security stamp and stick it on the card. In about 1970, just before we went decimal, a stamp for a man was £1-0-1d. At the end of each year the employer got a new card for each employee and had to send the completed ones to the government.

When you left, you got your Insurance Card back, stamped up to date, plus a Form P45 showing your Gross Pay and Tax Paid for the year. These were your "cards".

WassaiL! V