Liverpool Dockworkers Begin 14-Day Strike Over Pay Increase

Following  unstable pay to Dockworkers at Liverpool Port, over 500 dockworkers at the Port, one of Britain’s largest container ports, have embarked on a two-week strike.
The Unite Trade Union said wave of industrial unrest is caused by soaring inflation.
The Liverpool dockworkers began strike September 19 to end October 3, 2022, as announced earlier this month, and will overlap a second walkout by workers at Felixstowe, Britain’s top container port, which starts tomorrow.
The Union noted that over 560 port operatives and maintenance engineers employed by Mersey Docks and Harbour Company (MDHC) are striking in Liverpool over a pay rise equating to about 8.3%.
Peel Ports Group, which owns MDHC, said workers had rejected a 8.3% pay rise, enhanced with a one-off payment of 750 pounds ($853.05). The union’s pay rise demands equate to about 20%, it added.
With inflation having topped 10% in July and projected by the Bank of England to exceed 13% next month, Unite says MDHC’s pay offer represents a “real terms pay cut.”
It is the latest strike to disrupt rail services across Britain this summer and comes as industrial unrest affects a range of industries, from aviation and transport to nurses and lawyers.
In a statement made available to newsmen Peel Ports said it had committed to a shift pattern change that would result in a 25% reduction in nightshift working.
The average salary for container operatives would increase to about 43,000 pounds ($48,908.20) a year, it added.
“We urge the union to work with us at the negotiating table so together we can find a resolution,” Peel Ports said.

By: Chinedu Wosu