Fireworks lit the Kent sky before dawn as 100 sacked Liverpool dockers marched behind their banner then stood their ground in front of the gates of the port of Sheerness, this morning. Two coach loads had travelled through the night from Liverpool. Blowing their whistles and leafleting the traffic, the dockers turned back several lorries while two huge car transporters remained inside the port, refusing to cross the picket line. The port of Sheerness is 100% owned by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company through Medway Ports Ltd and Medway dockers have been recruited to replace the sacked Liverpool men. Sheerness handles trade from Flushing (Vlissingen) in the Netherlands and a delegation of Liverpool dockers plans to visit the Continent to appeal for solidarity.
Bob Ritchie, one of the stewards organising the picket said:
"We have shown the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company that the 500 men will not walk away from this fight. We know that the dock company financed their purchase of Medway ports through the sale of government shares. The dock company may have pressurised the workforce in Sheerness to come to Liverpool. We are well aware where the scab labour is coming from, but we hope that from today Sheerness workers will heed our views. We are asking them not to take any more food from our mouths. Most drivers bringing wagons to the port this morning took our leaflets. We hope they can all see the position the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company has forced us into. It was heartening to see that there are still good trade unionists in this country prepared to respect our picket lines and turn back. The 100 dockers were once again in breach of the anti-trade union laws which bound secondary picketing. We will continue to defy these laws until the 500 sacked men are reinstated. There were no arrests this morning. We welcome the good rapport with the Kent police, who obviously felt sympathy with our cause."
c/o chrisbailey@gn.apc.org
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