Dockers from the Port of Liverpool have accepted a pay rise after nearly two months of strike action.
Liverpool dockers employed at the Peel Ports-owned Port of Liverpool have won pay increases between 14 and 18 percent plus, according to job grades. Hundreds of dock workers voted in favour of strike action in August in response to a seven percent pay offer from the company which they described as a failure to honour its 2021 pay agreement.
Around 600 port operatives from Mersey Docks and Harbour Company staged the industrial action for nearly two months after first walking out on September 19 in a row over pay and conditions at the port. Further action was due to take place on November 14 - but Unite, the union representing the dockers, confirmed earlier this week that an agreement had been reached and the deal would be put to the union members to vote on.
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At a mass meeting held yesterday, Thursday, November 11, port operatives voted overwhelmingly in favour of the deal.
Energy and food prices have seen a significant hike in recent months in part due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. But Unite said the new deal is "inflation-busting" with the dock workers to receive pay hikes between 14 and 18 percent depending on their job grades. The dockers will now resume normal work duties.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "This is a highly significant victory for the Unite members on Liverpool docks. The determined resolve of our members on the picket line and Unite's strikes-plus strategy has forced the company to see sense and do the right thing. Make no mistake – Unite will continue to fight for jobs, pay and conditions and defend workers relentlessly.”
Unite national officer Bobby Morton added: “The hard work and solidarity of our members and reps at Peel Ports, combined with the union’s strategic tactics, has paid off. This victory is another reminder of why those who want to improve their pay and working lives should join Unite and become part of the fight for a better deal.”
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