Port of Dover strike cancelled

Strikes that had been planned by Port of Dover workers have been called off, according to officials at the Port.

The first of the series, a one-day stoppage by Unite union members, had been scheduled to begin at 3:00pm on Monday, and two more strikes were planned for later in the week.

Over 300 workers launched two sets of strikes in November, protesting plans by management to privatize 190 jobs in early 2009.

A Port spokesman said that industrial action had been averted, as talks between management and the union continued. The spokesman added that the full schedule of 60 departures daily was being maintained, although a union spokesman reported that the schedule had been impacted.

On Thursday and Friday of last week, senior management and Unite leaders held talks aimed at settling the dispute. They jointly issued a statement indicating that the talks would continue again this week.

UK ferry traffic has thus far defied the economic downturn. In November, the Dover Harbour Board reported that over a 48-hour period, 60,000 passengers were processed, which was an increase of 16 per cent over the same period in 2007. Cars and coaches transported were also up over the previous year, by 13 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively.

SpeedFerries, however, which operated high-speed services linking Dover and Boulogne, went into administration in November, citing high fuel costs as the reason for its failure.

www.doverport.co.uk