Port of Liverpool: Dock worker jobs at risk as redundancy talks begin

The Port of Liverpool covers two container terminals

One of the country's largest ports has confirmed 125 dock workers are at risk of redundancy due to a drop in container volumes.

The Port of Liverpool's management, Peel Ports, said the decision was "regrettable but unavoidable".

Following discussions with union officials, the company is scheduled to start issuing formal consultation notices over the next 45 days.

About 850 staff are currently employed at the site.

Peel Ports said where possible "every effort will be made to redeploy affected staff to alternative roles within the business."

Estimates show that in the first half of 2023 there was a drop in UK container volumes of about 12%, following a 7% decline in 2022.

Economic and industry forecasts show that no meaningful improvement is expected in the near future, Peel Ports have said.

The company said the decline was due to a combination of factors, including weaker consumer demand for manufactured goods as a direct result of inflation, recession concerns fuelled by rising interest rates and wider geopolitical issues.

Ian Cressey, port director, said: "This is a decision we have been wrestling with for many months and it's the last thing anyone at the port wants to face.

"We deeply regret the impact this will have on our people, but the sustained and significant deterioration in the global container market has forced our hand.

"These are challenges being faced by every other port operator in the market and we've done everything possible to safeguard jobs despite markedly declining global container volumes over the past two years."

Unite the Union said it would "leave no stone unturned in seeking alternative plans to the redundancies".

"Unite will demand that any potential job losses will be voluntary and come with the best possible redundancy packages," a spokesman added.

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