By Lisa Macdonald Five hundred dock-workers in Liverpool have been sacked by the Mersey Harbour Dock Company (MHDC) after refusing to cross a picket line established by young "trainee" dockers fighting casualisation of their jobs. Dozens of ships and tens of thousands of containers have been diverted from Liverpool, mainly to ports outside Britain. The dockers are taking a determined stand to stop the casualisation of the Liverpool docks. Almost all other ports in Britain now choose their workers on a daily basis will the result that dockers never know from one day to the next whether they will have a job and income. This is occurring despite the fact that dock-workers' productivity has been constantly increasing — the 500 Liverpool dockers are shifting more cargo than at any time in the port's history, including when 6000 workers were employed. In Liverpool, the MHDC is attempting to hand over port operations to a notorious union-busting operator that specialises in casualising dock labour. The workers' own union, the Transport and General Workers' Union, has refused to give any official support on the grounds that it would put the assets of the union at risk through legal action. Despite this the dockers' strike is receiving massive public support. Messages of support can be sent to Jimmie Davies by fax on 44 151 298 1044 or the Liverpool dockers' shop stewards by phone on 44 151 207 3388.
Liverpool dockers fight casualisation
Issue
If you like our work, become a supporter
Green Left is a vital social-change project and aims to make all content available online, without paywalls. With no corporate sponsors or advertising, we rely on support and donations from readers like you.
For just $5 per month get the Green Left digital edition in your inbox each week. For $10 per month get the above and the print edition delivered to your door. You can also add a donation to your support by choosing the solidarity option of $20 per month.
Freecall now on 1800 634 206 or follow the support link below to make a secure supporter payment or donation online.