Letter from dock stewards to international colleagues

Dear Colleagues,

On Thursday 7.11.96 a further round of negotiations took place between the senior officers of the Transport and General Workers Union, our own shop stewards movement, and the Mersey Docks and Harbour Co.

To all those who have been involved in the 13 month struggle of the Liverpool Dockworkers, there has been a clear belief that these talks could well be the last opportunity of reaching a just and negotiated settlement to our dispute.

The Liverpool dockworkers and their shop stewards are fully aware of the rumours going around in some of the northern European ports that the leaders of the Liverpool dockworkers are refusing to negotiate with the employers and are more intent on keeping the dispute going for their own personal gain. That type of statement is neither truthful or helpful in our campaign for job reinstatement. The truth is that after 13 months, the hardship our families face is greater now than ever before, but our conviction in achieving a correct and dignified settlement is still there.

The Merseyside Port Shop Stewards had decided to move away from its starting position of the reinstatement of 500 jobs before the negotiations took place. We had also decided to enter into free and unfettered talks, whereby all aspects of the dispute would be discussed - including the number of dockers jobs available, the number of ancillary jobs available, and the number of men who wish to leave the port industry on severance or pension schemes.

At the end of 6 hours of negotiations the Mersey Docks and Harbour Co position has not changed. They made it clear that there were no dockworkers jobs on offer - they have all been taken up in the main by non-union strike breaking labour. They said there could be vacancies at a later date if some of the scabs decide to leave, or there could be ancillary jobs on a short term basis - but made it clear once again that no dockers jobs are available.

Those negotiations, despite the lack of progress, have been adjourned until Wednesday 13th November '96. When those talks reconvene we will be doing our utmost to try and find a settlement, but there is a feeling that the M.D.H.C. are not honorable in their committment to reach a settlement and are more intent on using the negotiations as a cosmetic exercise to appease the international employer associations and the big shipping consortiums.

Therefore we call on our many international friends and comrades to increase their worldwide pressure and solidarity actions against those shipping companies that still sail their ships into and out of the Port of Liverpool, and we ask that those actions are maintained until the Mersey Docks and Harbour Co. realises that jobs for dockworkers in all areas of the Port of Liverpool must be part of any successful solution to the sacked Liverpool dockworkers campaign.

Please send us any information from your port, in connection with our campaign, as soon as possible.