The Port of Liverpool container terminal at Seaforth on the River Mersey

Dockers at the Port of Liverpool are to be balloted about strike action after months of talks over pay and conditions have reached deadlock.

Around 177 Blue Arrow staff based at the Port of Liverpool will be balloted in the near future after they rejected an offer of a 2% pay increase.

The dockers also say they want to see Blue Arrow’s two-tier sick pay system scrapped.

One docker contacted the ECHO to claim that any walk-out by Blue Arrow staff would bring the port to a “standstill”.

The timing of the dispute could hardly be worse for port operator Peel Ports, which is currently struggling to cope with the introduction of its new Autogate security system.

A spokesperson for trade union Unite said: “We are putting the arrangements in place for the ballot to start soon.”

The spokesperson explained that this year’s pay negotiations have reached a deadlock, saying that Blue Arrow are refusing to move on their final position of a 2% pay offer.

The Unite spokesperson added that members have suffered below inflation pay increases and pay freezes for the last five years and want a pay increase which reflects their loyalty and commitment.

Workers at the port also say that Blue Arrow’s two-tier sick system penalises the vast majority of Unite members and should be scrapped.

A spokesperson for Blue Arrow said: “Blue Arrow and Unite have been in discussions since February this year and will continue amicably until we find mutual resolution. To this end ACAS has also joined discussions this week.”

Blue Arrow said the rejected pay offer they made was 2% plus an additional 1% performance bonus scheme and is the same as that accepted by the entire Peel Ports Group including other sections represented by Unite.

A Peel Ports spokesperson said: “We support Blue Arrow and Unite in their efforts to seek a mutually amicable resolution to the discussions they have been having since February.”

However, the Peel Ports spokesperson added that the company would not comment about the claim that any strike action would bring the port to a standstill.