British trade union Unite has confirmed that more than 560 port operatives and maintenance engineers will take strike action from 06:00 (local time) Monday 19 September to 06:00 Monday 3 October at the Port of Liverpool.
Peel Ports, the operator of the UK container port, said the move is designed to disrupt operations at the port after a pay package of 8.3% was rejected by the union, and following demands for greater pay increases. On the other side, the union stated that a 7% pay offer is a pay cut with the real rate of inflation, RPI, at 12.3%.
Workers will also strike over the failure of MDHC, part of Peel Ports, to honour the 2021 pay agreement, according to Unite, which said that the company did not undertake a promised pay review, which last happened in 1995, and failed to deliver on an agreement to improve shift rotas.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham noted, "MDHC is controlled by a tax-exiled billionaire and can well afford to pay these workers a proper pay rise. Workers across the country are sick to death of being told to take a hit on their wages and living standards while employer after employer is guilty of rampant profiteering. MDHC needs to think again, table a reasonable offer and fulfil its previous pay promises."
