Liverpool port workers are set to go on strike for the second straight week over wages.
On Friday, Unite the Union confirmed that more than 560 dockers and maintenance engineers will go on strike from Sept. 19 to Oct. 3 after rejecting salary offers.
A Unite spokesman said the 7% salary proposal equated to a salary cut and that the boss of Mersey Docks and Harbor Company (MDHC), part of Peel Ports Group, did not honor the 2021 salary agreement.
Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said:
“MDHC needs to think again, present a reasonable offer, and honor previous salary promises.”
Freeport Unite Principal Officer Steven Gerrard said:
“No one else is responsible for the confusion caused.”
The union said strike action at the container port would disrupt both shipping and road transport in Liverpool and the surrounding area, but more action would be taken if no acceptable wage offers were made. rice field.
A spokesman for Peel Ports Group said the 8.3% salary package was rejected by the union.
Chief Operating Officer David Huck said:
“This all follows a 4.5% increase in 2021, plus improved shifts, sickness benefits, pensions and continued above-average salary awards over the past decade.
“Given the stagnant container market, global economic pressures, the conflict in Ukraine and global shipping disruptions, our salaries are well above the national average and represent a sustainable position for our business. increase.
“We continue to urge Unite The Union to keep talking to us so that together we can find solutions to avoid actions that are bad news for the sector, businesses and families, and the impact will be counted in the coming years.” It’s been felt for months, and that’s when the demand for container volumes started to decline.”
Last month, about 2,000 dockworkers at Felixstowe Port took part in an eight-day strike over a dispute over wages.
