Hundreds of dock workers at the Port of Liverpool will take part in another week of strike action after their demands for better wages and working conditions were not met.
Almost 600 Mersey Docks and Harbour Company employees will return to the picket line outside the port in Seaforth tomorrow. Around 40 control room operators will join the 560 port operatives and engineers who took action last month over MDHC’s 8.3% pay offer, which they say amounts to a pay cut as it is not in-line with the rate of inflation.
They also objected to what they say is MDHC’s failure to honour a 2021 pay agreement, which includes the company not undertaking a promised pay review (which last happened in 1995) and failing to deliver agreed improvements to shift rotas.
READ MORE: Dock workers stand down at Port of Liverpool after 11 days of strike action
Unite the Union members and bosses from MDHC's parent company Peel Ports returned to the negotiating table on October 3 and 4, but were unable to reach an agreement.
The port’s dock masters, shift managers and vessel traffic services officers are also preparing to be balloted for strike action.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The anger amongst MDHC’s staff at the greed of this hugely profitable firm and its billionaire owner John Whittaker reaches from one end of the company to the other. Our members will not back down and neither will Unite. MDHC needs to keep its previous pay promises and put forward a proper pay rise now.”
MDHC, which made more than £30 million in profits in 2021, is part of Peel Ports and is owned by the Peel Group. The highest paid Peel Ports director received pay and benefits totalling £4.5 million in 2021.
Unite national coordinator for free ports Steven Gerrard said: “The disruption caused to the port of Liverpool and the supply lines that depend on it is entirely the fault of MDHC and Peel Ports. If even more staff walk out over the company’s insufficient pay offer, the entire port will literally become inoperable. The company can afford to put forward an offer our members can accept and must do so.”
A Peel Ports spokesman said: “We have offered a very significant 8.3% pay package, and a £750 one off-payment, which would ensure the staff involved are among the best-paid in the industry, so it’s disappointing that further, damaging strike action has been scheduled. We can assure all our non-container customers that their port operations will continue as normal during this period.”
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