Liverpool port is set to restructure its containers division and start a redundancy consultation process, citing a marked deterioration in the volume of containers handled by the port.
The second largest port group in the UK, Peel Ports said the move was “extremely regrettable” but unavoidable, due to the economic backdrop caused by an increasing decline in the movement of cargo over the last few months and a recent sharp drop in containership charter rates.
“We need to restructure now in order to minimise the potential greater impact the downturn in container business will have on jobs, further down the line,” the port operator said.
The move comes as the port has also been subject to strike action in recent weeks by Unite union members who have rejected a 10.2% increase in basic pay and are set to stage an additional week-long strike on October 11.
The union said Peel Ports’ confirmation of months-old restructuring plans will not deter workers seeking fair pay and that strikes at the Liverpool port will now be about jobs and pay.
“Peel Ports has been giving press briefings about redundancies for months now, so this announcement is not new news,” said Robert Morton, Unite national officer, adding that “these plans confirm that the company was never going to discuss pay in good faith.”
