The Blue Fin departs from Teesport on its way to Thailand with a cargo of steel slab, the first to be made by SSI since the reopening of the Redcar steel works
TEESPORT is facing the threat of industrial action from workers, despite winning a contract to handle steel produced at Teesside’s rejuvenated blast furnace, it was claimed last night.
PD Ports is being accused of introducing a “follow the ship” contract, which means that staff work when the ships are ready for unloading and not to set shift patterns.
The shipping centre could be brought to a standstill if staff follow the example of fellow dock workers in Tilbury, in Essex, who staged a 48-hour walkout last month in a similar dispute.
And, with the first load of steel from Redcar’s SSI plant due to arrive in Thailand today, the prospect of industrial action could take the shine off PD Port’s recent successes.
The company, which manages Teesport and the port of Hartlepool, recruited 80 staff to help manage the additional ten million tonnes of cargo that will now be transported up the Tees.
However, one worker, who did not want to be named, claims the pressure of working under the new contracts is having a damaging effect on morale. He said: “They are trying to impose these ‘follow the ship’ contracts, but the workers are not going to have it. Many people are very angry about what is happening to them and we are trying to stop the move spreading across all ports.”
He claimed that some workers at PD Ports are already working under the “follow the ship” contracts and other workers are concerned they will all be forced to change their contracts.
Staff recently refused a pay offer and are now expected to take legal action in their fight to block the contracts, he said.
“A lot of the people who work at these docks aren’t earning vast sums of money,”
he said. “People are sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring just to find out if they can go out and earn a decent living – that’s what used to happen in the 1930s and they seem determined to bring about the casualisation of contracts.
“If the company does not start to take our concerns seriously, we will be forced to seek legal advice and workers could be balloted on taking industrial action.”
In recent years, PD Ports has responded to the downturn in local heavy industry, such as the mothballing of Redcar steelworks and plant closures in the chemical process sector, by investing £17m to expand its container business. Distribution warehouses used by firms such as Asda, Tesco and luxury food firm Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate have transformed the dockside into a hub for the retail industry.
PD Ports did not respond to requests to comment.
TEESPORT is facing the threat of industrial action from workers, despite winning a contract to handle steel produced at Teesside’s rejuvenated blast furnace, it was claimed last night.
PD Ports is being accused of introducing a “follow the ship” contract, which means that staff work when the ships are ready for unloading and not to set shift patterns.
The shipping centre could be brought to a standstill if staff follow the example of fellow dock workers in Tilbury, in Essex, who staged a 48-hour walkout last month in a similar dispute.
And, with the first load of steel from Redcar’s SSI plant due to arrive in Thailand today, the prospect of industrial action could take the shine off PD Port’s recent successes.
The company, which manages Teesport and the port of Hartlepool, recruited 80 staff to help manage the additional ten million tonnes of cargo that will now be transported up the Tees.
However, one worker, who did not want to be named, claims the pressure of working under the new contracts is having a damaging effect on morale. He said: “They are trying to impose these ‘follow the ship’ contracts, but the workers are not going to have it. Many people are very angry about what is happening to them and we are trying to stop the move spreading across all ports.”
He claimed that some workers at PD Ports are already working under the “follow the ship” contracts and other workers are concerned they will all be forced to change their contracts.
Staff recently refused a pay offer and are now expected to take legal action in their fight to block the contracts, he said.
“A lot of the people who work at these docks aren’t earning vast sums of money,”
he said. “People are sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring just to find out if they can go out and earn a decent living – that’s what used to happen in the 1930s and they seem determined to bring about the casualisation of contracts.
“If the company does not start to take our concerns seriously, we will be forced to seek legal advice and workers could be balloted on taking industrial action.”
In recent years, PD Ports has responded to the downturn in local heavy industry, such as the mothballing of Redcar steelworks and plant closures in the chemical process sector, by investing £17m to expand its container business. Distribution warehouses used by firms such as Asda, Tesco and luxury food firm Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate have transformed the dockside into a hub for the retail industry.
PD Ports did not respond to requests to comment.
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