{"id":1185,"date":"2022-08-16T10:30:29","date_gmt":"2022-08-16T02:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hajomech.com\/liverpool-port-workers-vote-to-strike-for-better-wages\/"},"modified":"2022-08-16T10:30:29","modified_gmt":"2022-08-16T02:30:29","slug":"liverpool-port-workers-vote-to-strike-for-better-wages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.hajomech.com\/liverpool-port-workers-vote-to-strike-for-better-wages\/","title":{"rendered":"Liverpool Port Workers Vote to Strike for Better Wages"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"1660616417877139.png\"\u3000\u3000<\/p>\n

Port workers in Liverpool plan to follow Felixstowe and go on strike for <\/p>\n

better wages (Peel Ports file photo)<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

PUBLISHED AUG 15, 2022 4:18 PM BY THE MARITIME <\/p>\n

EXECUTIVE<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the first of two votes, union members at the Port of Liverpool in <\/p>\n

western England have voted to strike for a pay increase. News of the possible <\/p>\n

strike comes as the shipping industry prepares for a strike at Felixstowe <\/p>\n

scheduled to run all next by the same union. Officials are forecasting the <\/p>\n

latest in a wave of strikes passing through the United Kingdom could place a <\/p>\n

further strain on the supply chain disrupting shipping patterns in key ports <\/p>\n

across Europe.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Trade union Unite released the results of a strike vote taken among more <\/p>\n

than 500 of its members working in the Liverpool port saying the members <\/p>\n

supported a labor action over \u201can inadequate seven percent pay offer.\u201d  They <\/p>\n

reported that 88 percent of members cast their vote with an overwhelming 99 <\/p>\n

percent in favor of a strike.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cOur members are struggling with rising living costs,\u201d Unite national <\/p>\n

coordinator Steven Gerrard said calling for the port operator MDHC, which is <\/p>\n

part of Peel Ports, to \u201ccome back with a deal that meets our members <\/p>\n

expectations.\u201d With rising consumer inflation, the union argues that the offer <\/p>\n

is tantamount to a pay cut for members.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThe responsibility for Liverpool container docks grinding to a halt will <\/p>\n

lie firmly with MDHC,\u201d said Gerrard. Peel Ports reports that Liverpool handles <\/p>\n

more than 75,000 TEU and more than 60 vessels each month.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The union has not yet set a date for the potential strike at Liverpool, <\/p>\n

instead reported that a second strike authorization vote was commencing. Voting <\/p>\n

started today for the 60 maintenance engineers that also are employed by MDHC <\/p>\n

that could also go on strike over the same pay offer. The ballot closes on <\/p>\n

August 24.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s happening at MDHC is another example of why workers in this country <\/p>\n

have had enough,\u201d said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham. Once again, a <\/p>\n

profitable company controlled by a tax-exiled billionaire is refusing to give <\/p>\n

its workers a cost-of-living pay rise.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Unite and other unions across the UK have moved aggressively to win higher <\/p>\n

pay increases in the face of strong inflation. Rail workers and others have all <\/p>\n

begun strikes calling for companies to provide what they call fair pay based on <\/p>\n

corporations\u2019 rising profits over the past two years and now the soaring cost of <\/p>\n

living in the UK. Unite highlighted earlier today that it had won a new package <\/p>\n

for staff employees at British Airways that amounts to the equivalent of a 13 <\/p>\n

percent increase made up of a lump sum payment and a two-stage wage <\/p>\n

increase.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The same union rejected a similar seven percent wage increase along with a <\/p>\n

lump sum payment proposed by the Port of Felixstowe. As with Liverpool, they <\/p>\n

called the offer inadequate and refused to continue talks after the mediation <\/p>\n

efforts failed a week ago. Unite has scheduled an 8-day strike due to begin on <\/p>\n

August 21 at Felixstowe.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Freight companies have speculated that the carriers might blank sailings <\/p>\n

into the UK ports or attempt to divert containers to other ports possibly <\/p>\n

through transshipment from Europe. Maersk, however, last week advised customers, <\/p>\n

that it intended to try and reroute vessels either in the ports before the <\/p>\n

strike or hold traffic until labor was available at the port. Either way, the <\/p>\n

strikes are likely to add further disruptions especially with Felixstowe being <\/p>\n

included on the largest carriers\u2019 primary routes from Asia.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Port workers in Liverpool plan to follow Felixstowe and go on strike for better wages (Peel Ports file photo)PUBLISHED AUG 15, 2022 4:18 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVEIn the first of two votes, union members at the Port of Liverpool in western England have voted to strike for a pay increase. Ne…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"hj_lang":[3],"class_list":["post-1185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hajomech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hajomech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hajomech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hajomech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hajomech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1185"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.hajomech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1185\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hajomech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hajomech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hajomech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1185"},{"taxonomy":"hj_lang","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hajomech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hj_lang?post=1185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}