Docks workers at the Port of Liverpool have once again walked out in protest as they continue their longest strike so far.
Nearly 600 Mersey Dock and Harbour Company employees returned to the picket line on Monday, October 24, as they continue their fight over pay and jobs. Today, October 31, marks the beginning of their second week of strike action.
This is despite threats of job losses from parent company Peel Ports, which says 132 roles will be cut due to a decline in the volume of cargo handled by the port
READ MORE: Port of Liverpool bosses accused of 'fudging the numbers' by striking dockers
Unite the Union general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Instead of negotiations to resolve this dispute, the company has chosen to threaten jobs and repeatedly mislead about the deal it has tabled.
“Our members are standing firm, and have their union’s complete support. The company must put forward a pay rise they can accept or this strike continues.”
Strike action began at the docks on September 19, and continued until October 3, after workers rejected a pay offer which they said amounted to a pay cut as it was not in-line with the current level of inflation.
Another round of strikes began on October 11 and continued until October 17 after further negotiations between Unite and Peel Ports failed to reach an agreement.
Peel Ports called on MDHC employees to accept its 'final offer' of a 10.2% average increase, made up of an 8.9% rise in basic pay, a 0.3% rise in night shift allowance, and a rise in rates of pay up to 4%.
But Unite the Union accused the company of "fudging the numbers," as the company's claim of a 10.2% increase was "based on the maximum someone could earn if they work overtime on top of their weekly contracted hours" - and that the real offer amounted to just 8.3%.
Unite national co-ordinating officer for free ports, Steven Gerrard, said: “If Peel had genuinely offered 10.2 per cent to all grades, we would ballot our members. But they haven’t, nor have they addressed their failure to implement 2021’s pay agreement.
“Our members won’t put up with being treated as the second-class employees of the group. Unite’s message to Peel is: stop the threats and misleading statements and put a proper offer on the table.”
Peel Ports chief operating officer David Huck said it was "hugely disappointing" that the Union's latest mass meeting voted to reject the company's most recent pay offer of 11%.
He said: “Given we have now improved our offer six times and Unite have consistently blocked the involvement of ACAS to help arbitrate, you have to question whether the union really wants to resolve this damaging industrial action or is simply prolonging it for their own ends.
“The fact that they have refused to give all employees an independent postal vote on this 11% offer, free from the pressures and undue influence of an outdated show-of-hands, is very telling. Our feedback from many, many workers is that they are in favour of accepting but are too reluctant to do so in a mass meeting.
“Meanwhile, the latest two-week strike will cause yet further damage to our customers, the business and the Liverpool City Region, threating even more jobs at the port.
“It’s wholly irresponsible of Unite to prolong this self-defeating strike. They should have the courage to put this to members and let them have their say. It’s the only way to safeguard as many jobs as possible and implement the most generous pay increase in the industry.”
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