Strikers announce further action

Non-union staff kept the port running during the strike

Further industrial action at a Kent port has been announced as the latest strike by harbour workers ends.

The strike by Unite union members from Dover Harbour Board, which started at 0700 GMT on Thursday, finished at noon.

The dispute is over plans to privatise 190 mooring, trailer handling and security jobs in January. The third strike is planned for 8 December.

The port said a full ferry schedule of more than 60 daily departures was maintained throughout the action.

Non-union staff kept the port running, a harbour board spokesperson said.

'Negotiate details'

Bob Goldfield, chief executive of Dover Harbour Board, said: "Clearly the strikes are having no effect on the port's traffic.

"It's pointless and the union must come to the table and negotiate the details of the job transfers with Acas."

The transfer of the employees' jobs to a private firm is scheduled ahead of the construction of a second terminal.

The harbour board wants to turn the former Hoverport at the Western Docks into a second ferry terminal with a new marina and four new berths.

The board said a second terminal would help create 1,000 new jobs locally and ease traffic problems, but service operations first needed to be opened up to competition, in line with European Commission objectives.

Unite has said its members would suffer worse pay, hours and conditions of employment, and lose pension protection if jobs were transferred.

Harbour Board employee Gary Punton, a convener for Unite, said: "I really would talk to Dover Harbour Board but I want to to talk at both sides of interest, not just one side."

The union plans three one-day strikes from 8 December. The first action by members, a 48-hour strike, was held last week.