The Port of Liverpool, one of the largest container ports in the UK, will have more than 560 port operatives and maintenance engineers go on strike from September 19 to October 3 due to concerns about pay and working conditions. This adds to the summer’s industrial unrest triggered by increasing inflation.
In August, dockworkers voted to go on strike after being offered a 7% pay increase by MDHC Container Services, which is a subsidiary of Peel Ports, the UK’s second-largest port group. The Unite union criticised the proposal, saying it fell significantly short of the current real inflation rate, which is expected to hit 13% this year.
The failure of MDHC to honour the 2021 pay agreement is another reason why workers plan to go on strike. This includes the fact that the company did not carry out a pay review as promised (the last time this occurred was in 1995), nor did it deliver as promised on an agreement to improve shift rotas.
Unite’s argument for the strike is that MDHC made a profit of £30 million in 2021 and therefore has the financial resources to make a more competitive pay offer.
“Workers across the country are sick to death of being told to take a hit on their wages and living standards while employer after employer is guilty of rampant profiteering,” said the general secretary of Unite, Sharon Graham.
“MDHC needs to reconsider its position, make a fair proposal, and keep the pay commitments it has made in the past,” she added.
Port director Richard Mitchell stated in a message to the industry that Peel’s most recent offer took into account the challenges brought on by the cost of living and that at 8.3%, the offered rate was “industry-leading.”
“You will undoubtedly share our dissatisfaction at this scenario, which is having an impact on many industries in the UK,” he continued.
“We take pride in being a top-notch employer with a history of producing high-calibre, well-paying jobs with salaries that are 20% higher than the average for the Liverpool City region. Rest certain that we will keep urging Unite to negotiate a settlement in order to avert this strike. “
Workers have stayed staunch, meanwhile, following the union’s allegations that Peel broke key promises from the pay deal for 2021, including the first pay review in 27 years and bettering shift rotas.
“It has refused to honour prior compensation pledges and is unwilling to put forward a reasonable pay rise today,” said Steven Gerrard, Unite’s senior officer for freeports.
“Nobody else besides the port is to blame for the inconvenience that will occur,” he added.
The rising cost of living has prompted walkouts around the country, including on trains, buses, and at ports. These strikes will disrupt supply lines as merchants prepare for the Christmas shopping season.
The announcement comes just days after port workers at Felixstowe completed an eight-day strike over a similar pay dispute.
