Two days of strike action this week by Plymouth tugboat crews will cause “serious disruption” to naval traffic at Devonport Naval Base, Unite the union warned.
About 40 tractor tug crew members employed by Serco Marine at Devonport will strike from 7am on Friday, April 9, until 6.59am on Saturday, April 10, as part of a long-running dispute over the imposition of a new “three weeks on and three weeks off” roster.
Unite said there were serious health and safety risks for its members, including excessive tiredness, with the new three-week system introduced in December 2020. It also has adverse implications for workers’ annual leave entitlement, the union claimed.
The strike will cause “serious disruption” to naval vessels, including submarines, which need the tugs to get into the docks and out again into open sea, Unite said.
Unite national officer Bobby Morton said: “This is a long-running dispute which has health and safety at its heart. The new roster system of three weeks ‘on’ and then weeks ‘off’ has meant increased fatigue for our members who do a very responsible job.
“The new system may suit the Serco management as a way for the outsourcing giant to increase its profit margins, but it is completely unacceptable to our members.
“The previous one week ‘on’ and one week ‘off’ pattern worked well for many years and should be reinstated – and we call on the management to take this step before this week’s strike.
“The strike will cause disruption to naval vessels which need the experienced tugboat crews to guide them into the docks and back out to sea once maintenance work and re-provisioning for the ships are completed.”
The dispute has been simmering since 2020 and strikes were planned for the Christmas and New Year period, but Unite suspended them as “an act of goodwill” for talks under the auspices of the conciliation service, Acas to take place. However, these have now reached an impasse the union said.
Tractor tug crew members had planned to strike between December 25 and 30. The strike action had been called earlier in December after a ballot, with a 92.3% turnout, saw 97.2% vote in favour of strike action. The tug boats are vital for assisting Royal Navy vessels, including surface ships and submarines, to leave and return to harbour safely.
Bosses at outsourcing giant Serco said in 2020 they had offered a compromise and claimed the changes are aligned to industry practice and meet maritime regulatory compliance, and all employees will be off for 26 weeks of the year with 30 days annual leave.
Serco Marine has been contacted for a response to the latest strike announcement.
