Grangemouth Workers to Strike against Pay and Roster Changes

Forth Ports The workers at Grangemouth, one of Scotlands largest ports, have decided to take industrial action over pay and roster changes proposed by port operator Forth Ports, according to GAC. The strike, scheduled to start on March 15, would halt all maritime activities within the port’s container terminal, initially for a period of up to two weeks. The changes to the rotas and pay are expected to come into effect on April 3. Britains trade union Unite informed that almost all port operatives based at Grangemouth had voted for the strike protesting the changes. GAC said that landside operations will be maintained to allow containers currently in the terminal to be picked up, while general cargo, liquid cargo and warehousing would not be affected by the action and the port estate would remain open for tenants’ businesses. Forth Ports spokesperson was quoted by BBC as saying that the industrial action is unjustified because the change comes in response to the needs of customers. The spokesperson confirmed to BBC that the ports quayside container operations would be closed from midnight on March 14, while other operations at the port would remain open. Grangemouth currently handles approximately 150,000 containers per year. It is the UK’s largest feeder port and the only one that exports more than it imports. World Maritime News Staff