Nearly 600 Liverpool port workers will take seven days of fresh strike action beginning on October 11, with senior control room operators and control room operators having now voted to join the strikes.
Port operatives and engineers began two weeks of industrial action on September 19.
In addition, the port’s dock masters, shift managers and vessel traffic services officers are also preparing to be balloted for strike action.
The combined impact of so many roles striking means the entire port will ‘literally become inoperable’ according to the Unite union.
Unite has cited MDHC’s pay offer of around 8.3% which is below the RPI of inflation of 12.3%, therefore representing a pay cut.
The dispute is also over MDHC’s alleged failure to honour a 2021 pay agreement, which includes the company not undertaking a promised pay review, which last happened in 1995, and failing to deliver on an agreement to improve shift rotas.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The anger amongst MDHC’s staff at the greed of this hugely profitable firm and its billionaire owner John Whittaker reaches from one end of the company to the other.
“Our members will not back down and neither will Unite. MDHC needs to keep its previous pay promises and put forward a proper pay rise now.”
MDHC, which made more than £30m (US$30m) in profits in 2021, is part of Peel Ports and is owned by the Peel Group.
Peel Ports, which is also the port authority for the Manchester Ship Canal, the River Medway, parts of the River Clyde, 12 Quays at Birkenhead and Heysham Port, has paid out around £300m (US$330m) in dividends over the past five years.
Unite national coordinator for free ports Steven Gerrard said: “The disruption caused to the port of Liverpool and the supply lines that depend on it is entirely the fault of MDHC and Peel Ports.
“If even more staff walk out over the company’s insufficient pay offer, the entire port will literally become inoperable. The company can afford to put forward an offer our members can accept and must do so.”
According to the port operator, the improved 8.3% pay package includes a 7% increase in basic pay, plus a 1.3% from pay rates and allowances and an additional £750 (US$830) one-off discretionary payment for each port operative.
The entire package equates to a 10% or £4,000 (US$4,500) average increase in annual pay, backdated to June, it added.
Ahead of the strike in September, David Huck, chief operating officer at the port, said: “I am deeply disappointed Unite has rejected our significant pay package after many months of negotiation. This is bad news for our employees, families and other local employers.
“We fully recognise our colleagues’ concerns on the cost of living crisis, and that’s why we have responded with a pay package which represents a 10% average increase in annual pay.”
