Liverpool dockers union agrees to accept pay offer, port says

The union representing dock workers at the Port of Liverpool agreed to accept an offer from the trade gateway’s operator, potentially ending weeks of pay disputes and periodic strikes, Peel Ports Group said.

Unite the Union will recommend the proposal to its members, Peel said in an emailed statement Tuesday, with a vote of the container operators set for this week. 

The deal could end weeks of strikes which saw almost 600 dockers walk out at various times, with the latest two-week strike ending Nov. 7. Unite had previously rejected increases below 12.3% as it sought pay rises that would keep up with the UK’s inflation rate of about 10%.

Another strike was planned at Liverpool’s port Nov. 14-21, according to an advisory Monday from AP Moller-Maersk A/S, the world’s No. 2 container carrier.