Western Morning News

Tugboat crews step up their strike action as dispute escalates

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TUGBOAT crews at Plymouth’s Devonport Naval Base have called a four-day strike as a row with employers over shift patterns escalates.

The Naval Base faces 96 hours of disruption when the crews walk out in the continuing rostering dispute, Unite the union said.

About 40 tractor tug crew members employed by Serco Marine at the naval base will strike from 7am on Saturday, May 15, until 6.59am on

Wednesday, May 19. This follows two 24-hour strikes in April, which the union called “well supported” but which Serco said did not cause it problems.

The long-running dispute centres on the imposition of a new ‘three weeks on and three weeks off’ roster introduced in December, 2020, which Unite has repeatedly warned poses serious health and safety risks for its members, including excessive tiredness. It also has adverse implicatio­ns for their annual leave entitlemen­t.

Unite members are currently being balloted to extend the mandate which will ensure that they will be covered by the full 12-week period of immunity from being dismissed for taking part in lawful industrial action, which will now cover all action until early July. The ballot closes on Wednesday, May 19.

Unite national officer Bobby Morton said: “The 96-hour strike is a shot across the management’s bows that now is the time for them to sit down for constructi­ve talks to resolve this dispute, otherwise Devonport could face serious disruption with strike action until early July. A wave of strikes into mid-summer could disrupt naval vessels, including submarines, from entering Devonport for maintenanc­e and re-supply.”

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