1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190 
Storm gathers at 23 UK ports
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
CON'IAINER OPERATORS are facing massive disruption as 300 workers at 23 ports are threatening to strike.
The threat of a walkout comes after crane drivers and dockers rejected a 2.9% pay offer from Associated British Ports (ABP) by a vote of three to one (CM 12 August 2004). Further talks have failed to resolve the dispute.
ABP ports include Southampton, Plymouth, and Tilbury.
T&G national organiser Colin Can says:" Our members gave us a clear indication that they were prepared to have a full industrial action ballot if negotiations failed. We met with ABP and made it clear we were prepared to negotiate to avoid a dispute.
"We would now urge ABP to recognise the mood has changed and people are running out of patience."
Mike Lewry, transport manager at Totton-based Elite Transport Services, says a strike would be disastrous:"If it went on for a week or so I could see lot of companies forced to make redundancies."
ABP says it has revised its recent offer of a three-year pay deal to a 2.9% rise for 2004 and 3.5% for 2005 in line with inflation, plus 0.5% for 2006.
The T&G plans to ballot for industrial action.