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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Court ruling stops port strike | Court ruling stops port strike |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Managers at Wales' largest port have successfully won an injunction to stop a strike involving about 50 workers. | |
| Milford Haven Port Authority launched a High Court bid to try to stop pilots and launch crew members from walking out on Thursday and Friday. | Milford Haven Port Authority launched a High Court bid to try to stop pilots and launch crew members from walking out on Thursday and Friday. |
| Mr Justice Sweeney has ruled that notices of industrial action issued by the Unite union did not fully comply with the relevant legislation. | |
| The dispute centres on changes to the staff pension scheme. | The dispute centres on changes to the staff pension scheme. |
| Delivering his ruling a day after the hearing in London, Mr Justice Sweeney said that the "balance of convenience" favoured the port authority. | |
| Talks between the port authority, the union Unite and the conciliation service Acas are continuing. | |
| The port authority argues that it must alter its final salary pension scheme because of a huge deficit which it says is growing and unsustainable. | The port authority argues that it must alter its final salary pension scheme because of a huge deficit which it says is growing and unsustainable. |
| Commercial ships | Commercial ships |
| It says that the revised average earning scheme is still a good package, but the pilots and launch crews say they are not prepared to accept what they say are significant changes to their future pensions. | It says that the revised average earning scheme is still a good package, but the pilots and launch crews say they are not prepared to accept what they say are significant changes to their future pensions. |
| Two weeks of talks have already been held and the port authority warned a strike could damage the reputation of Britain's sixth biggest port, which handles 25% of the UK's petrol and diesel. | |
| The port is hugely significant to the UK's energy sector with two oil refineries, two LNG terminals, and the UK's largest petroleum tank farm around the haven. | The port is hugely significant to the UK's energy sector with two oil refineries, two LNG terminals, and the UK's largest petroleum tank farm around the haven. |
| The staff at the centre of the dispute, the pilots, are responsible for bringing large commercial ships in and out of Milford Haven, and are highly-skilled and experienced at navigating the estuary. | The staff at the centre of the dispute, the pilots, are responsible for bringing large commercial ships in and out of Milford Haven, and are highly-skilled and experienced at navigating the estuary. |
| Without them and the launch crews, who help them get on and off the ships at sea, the port cannot offer a pilotage service to its customers. | Without them and the launch crews, who help them get on and off the ships at sea, the port cannot offer a pilotage service to its customers. |
| Before the court ruling, Allan Card of Unite said they believed the notice served on the port authority was perfectly lawful. | Before the court ruling, Allan Card of Unite said they believed the notice served on the port authority was perfectly lawful. |
| He said: "We've actually offered the port authority that we would suspend that action for up to 28 days to enable further discussions hopefully so that we can resolve this matter. | He said: "We've actually offered the port authority that we would suspend that action for up to 28 days to enable further discussions hopefully so that we can resolve this matter. |
| "We've worked very hard over the last couple of weeks with the involvement of [independent conciliation service] Acas to try to resolve it, but we've made considerable progress but we're still not in a position where we can actually say that this matter is resolved." | "We've worked very hard over the last couple of weeks with the involvement of [independent conciliation service] Acas to try to resolve it, but we've made considerable progress but we're still not in a position where we can actually say that this matter is resolved." |
| The port authority's chief executive Ted Sangster said the threat of the strike had already led owners of one vessel destined for the port to divert it elsewhere, losing the port a revenue of £50,000. | The port authority's chief executive Ted Sangster said the threat of the strike had already led owners of one vessel destined for the port to divert it elsewhere, losing the port a revenue of £50,000. |