Dockers in Tilbury are yet again being attacked by their employer Forth Ports. In the last week the company has announced it is to terminate the Collective Bargaining Agreement and plans to scrap all terms and conditions for dockers employed at the short sea container terminal and replace them with vastly inferior terms; the local union shop stewards immediately objected and were told by the company that these matters were non negotiable.Source: Tilbury Dockworkers Union Local Branch
The company have now announced that they will be holding meetings with employees in order to communicate directly with them and that union representatives will not be welcome at these meetings. In response, the shop stewards have called for an industrial action ballot of members.
Background
In 2011, Forth Ports was bought by ARCUS Infrastructure Partners who immediately set about a campaign of attacking the trade union across all of the UK ports it had aquired.
ARCUS Infrastructure Partners - Euroports
Arcus is a major shareholder in Euroports, Euroports owns and operates over 20 port terminals throughout 7 countries in continental Europe, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Italy and Bulgaria, it also has one associated terminal in China. Euroports is the 2nd largest and most diversified dry bulk port operator in continental Europe, as well as handling over 50 other different product types.
In the UK, Arcus is the major shareholder (62%) in Forth Ports, which operates 8 ports in England and Scotland. These ports handle containers, forest products, general cargo and liquid & dry bulk
Arcus - http://www.arcusip.com
Euroports - http://www.euroports.com/