Dock workers at the Port of Liverpool in the UK have secured inflation busting wage increases after nearly eight weeks of strike action, according to their union.
Unite, the dockers’ union, said its members at the port had won pay hikes of “between 14% and 18% plus, according to job grades”.
In a statement Friday, the facility’s owner Peel Ports Group said the proposal offered a basic wage increase of 9%, plus an increase in the allowance for night-shift workers that boosts the package by an extra 0.2% to 4.5%.
“Members of Unite at the Port of Liverpool Containers Division fully accepted the deal to increase basic pay by 9% in a vote on 10 November,” Peel said.
The deal ends a series of strikes that crippled the flow of containers through a key gateway for Britain’s transatlantic trade.
Peel Ports’ chief operating officer David Huck said: “We are delighted to have closed the pay deal with Unite the Union and look forward to continuing to work in partnership with focus on the future.
“We thank our key customers across the supply chain for their support and patience during a challenging period for them, as well as our employees and the wider business.
“We have invested £1.2bn over the last decade, helping Liverpool to proudly reclaim its position as one of the UK’s most important port operations and the busiest transatlantic port in Britain.”
Unite the Union said the dock workers will now resume normal work duties, ending a wave of escalating strike action that began on 19 September.
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,” he added.
Unite national officer Bobby Morton said: “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.”
According to Peel Ports, the highest-paid striking employees within the containers division at the Port of Liverpool earned up to £71,000 per annum in the last trading year.
