Port jammed
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• Truck drivers who besieged one of Britain's biggest container ports for nine hours last week to protest about delays have won concessions from the port's owner.
The 40 drivers decided they were fed up with regularly waiting for up to seven hours to be unloaded at Southampton Container Terminal and used their trucks to block the entrance to the docks.
The blockade, which began in the early hours of last Thursday, caused chaos with up to 400 lorries backed up on roads to the port. The drivers were also protesting about lack of facilities at the port.
Drivers' representatives from Southampton hauliers Dual Carriageway and J Alford met SCT managers and a Transport and General Workers' Union officer to voice their grievances before calling off the dispute.
After meeting with drivers again this week, SCT has agreed to provide canteens and washrooms, liaise with shippers to encourage drivers to spread their arrivals throughout the day and to tighten up security to prevent queue jumping.
TGWU regional organiser Dennis Harryman says the port has cut its workforce by 35%