Hundreds of Liverpool dockworkers down tools again

More strike action in one of the UK's biggest container ports has raised concerns over cargo and vessel movement, sources say.

PHOTO: Dockworkers protesting over pay at the Port of Liverpool. @Unite_NorthWest

Dockworkers at the Port of Liverpool have begun a second round of strike from Tuesday as pay hike disputes worsen. This follows a two-week strike that started on 19 September and ended on 2 October.

The latest week-long strike announcement has come as the impasse over pay hike continues between employees and the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company (MDHC). Workers are unhappy with the 8.3% pay hike offered by the company. They and have rejected the offer, saying it is significantly below the current inflation rate.

The wage dispute worsened after the Peel Ports group, which owns and manages the Port of Liverpool, issued redundancy notices to more than 15% of its workforce last week. The company has cited a drop in container volume handled by the port for these notices.

MDHC is part of the Peel Ports group.

Unite, a union representing Liverpool dockworkers, has slammed the move, calling it “a cynical attempt to intimidate workers.”

So far, 132 workers have received redundancy notices from Peel Ports, Unite says.

A similar pay hike dispute is going on between dockworkers in the UK's Port of Felixstowe and the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company.

Liner consultancy firm Vespucci Maritime’s chief executive Lars Jensen has said that such large strikes could drive cargo traffic towards container hubs abroad such as Antwerp and Rotterdam.

According to Marine Traffic, Rotterdam has topped the list of the busiest ports in Europe by container ship traffic in the third quarter of this year.

“Based on distinct boxship arrivals, the ranking continues with the Greek port of Piraeus on the second spot, followed by Hamburg and Antwerp,” Marrine Traffic said in a note.

By Shilpa Sharma

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