25% of UK Trade Threatened by Potential Maritime Strike
British ports may be in for more strikes a year after the United Kingdom’s major gateways at Felixstowe and Liverpool suffered multiple days-long labor stoppages.
Unite the Union warned Associated British Ports (ABP) that strike action could be brewing across its 21 ports. These gateways handle around one-quarter of the U.K.’s seaborne trade, or $183.2 billion in total goods, according to the labor organization with over 1.2 million members in sectors including construction, manufacturing, transport and logistics.
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The union said Friday it registered a dispute regarding increased medical standards of maritime pilots who navigate ships in and out of the U.K.’s waterways and ports. The pilots said the new standards were introduced without consulting them first as required under national health and safety legislation and Unite’s recognition agreement.
The pilots could go on strike by the end of December or early next year if negotiations fail and if authorization is given for a work stoppage.
Maritime pilots know local waterway details including weather, depth, currents and hazards. They efficiently guide the ship’s passage and have expertise in handling ships of all types and sizes. Only 60 or so individuals complete the five-year training to do the job in the U.K.
“Maritime pilots are scarce, skilled and highly experienced. Ships can’t leave or enter the U.K.’s ports without them,” said Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite the Union, in a statement. “It’s all the more incredible that ABP Ports is refusing to negotiate important changes to their health and safety.”
According to Unite, the union has no objection to improving the medical standards, “but there has been no negotiations and no detail about how these medical tests will be done or what happens if a member fails. This is a serious concern as ultimately members’ jobs could be at stake.”
According to The Independent, the British media outlet, the union pilots are concerned whether they would pass or fail the health examinations under the new standards, particularly since the criteria are unclear.
“The health, safety and wellbeing of all colleagues is of critical importance to ABP,” an ABP spokesperson told Sourcing Journal. “Having reviewed our already comprehensive package of health provision for our maritime colleagues, we have implemented a new regular health assessment to help ensure the safety and wellbeing of maritime colleagues, reflecting the demanding nature of the roles they carry out. We are disappointed that Unite have chosen to oppose the introduction of these measures, which we strongly believe are in the interests of their members. We continue to engage with Union representatives and the mention of industrial action is unhelpful.”
Most Unite members work in South Wales (Swansea, Port Talbot, Barry, Cardiff and Newport) as well as two areas in England: Southampton and the Humber (Port of Hull and Immingham). But the dispute could impact all 21 ports operated by ABP.
“Unite is not opposed to enhanced checks but they need to be negotiated and introduced fairly,” Graham said. “ABP needs to realize that Unite stands ready to defend our members’ jobs, terms and conditions.”
Pilots carry specific responsibilities addressed in national U.K. legislation such as The Pilotage Act 1987. Under law, the pilots are also already required to hold medical certificates.
Unite regional coordinating officer, Jane Jeffery, said: “Pilots must be in a good physical condition to tolerate the physical stresses of boarding and landing ships.”
Such a strike would be different from the 2022 labor disruptions that slowed the movement of goods at the Port of Liverpool and the Port of Felixstowe—both of which involved dockworkers represented by Unite the Union.
Approximately 1,900 of Felixstowe’s 2,500 dockworkers walked out for two separate strikes, each eight days long, in August and September, before finally accepting a new deal in December. The agreement authorized an 8.5 percent pay rise plus an extra one-off payment of 1,000 pounds ($1,157) starting from January 2023.
Workers at the Port of Liverpool held three separate strikes last year from September through November, with roughly 600 workers walking off the job. In November, a resolution was reached that secured better pay for workers.
The strikes happened before of the two-week strike at Canadian West Coast ports that ended in August.
The newest maritime pilot strike would occur amid low cargo demand, with one hub even cutting jobs several times. The Port of Liverpool said late last month that it was preparing to lay off up to 125 out of 850 employees.
