Defiant dock workers have issued a warning to bosses that the Port of Liverpool will "literally become inoperable" as they plan further mass walk-outs.
Around 560 striking workers from the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company stood down at 6am on Monday, October 3, following 11 days of action, which ended in a stalemate, with no new offers from either side. They will return to the negotiating table with parent company Peel Ports today and tomorrow in the hope of reaching an agreement.
The workers objected to MDHC's 8.3% pay rise 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 the 2021 pay agreement, which includes the company not undertaking a promised pay review, and a lack of shift rota improvements.
READ MORE: Liverpool dock workers vow to strike for 'as long as it takes' over pay row
Responding, a Peel Ports spokesman said the company had invested more than £1.2bn over the last 10 years, creating more than 900 new skilled jobs and supporting more than 7,200 additional local jobs.
Heavy goods vehicles could be seen travelling in and out of the port in Seaforth this morning as work returned to normal.
This may be short-lived, however, as Unite the Union plans a further seven days of strike action between October 11 and October 17, with senior control room operators and control room operators also joining the picket line - taking the total numbers up to 600.
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.”
Throughout the strike, dockers received support from Liverpool MPs Kim Johnson, Ian Byrne, Paula Barker, Maria Eagle and Dan Carden, as well as other MPs visiting for the Labour party conference from September 25 to 28 - including former leader Jeremy Corbyn.
International delegates from docking companies based in America, Spain, France, Sweden and Denmark also joined the picket line. Environmental campaign groups, including the Liverpool City Region Climate Justice Coalition, Friends of the Earth, Extinction Rebellion Wirral, Save Rimrose Valley, Green New Deal Rising, and Axe Drax, also threw their support behind the workers.
September 26 saw the largest turn-out, as around 300 supporters, many of them attending the Labour party conference, rallied at the docks. Workers then marched through Liverpool city centre under a banner which read: "Port of Liverpool robbing dockers' wages".
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