A strike which threatens to cause “serious disruption” at Plymouth’s Devonport Naval Base is still expected to go ahead even as talks continue.
Union bosses said a walkout by tugboat crews will start as scheduled at 7am on Friday, April 9, and run for 24 hours. Unite the Union said the two-day walkout will impact on shipping traffic going in and out of Plymouth’s vast naval base.
Previous actions in the long-running dispute over shift patterns were called off the 11 th hour but a Unite spokesman said on April 8 that: “I can confirm that the strike tomorrow is going ahead.”
There will be no picket line, however, the union said.
About 40 tractor tug crew members employed by Serco Marine at Devonport will strike from 7am on April 9, until 6.59am on Saturday, April 10, as part of the dispute over the imposition of a new “three weeks on and three weeks off” roster.
Unite said there were serious health and safety risks for its members, including excessive tiredness, with the new three-week system introduced in December 2020. It also has adverse implications for workers’ annual leave entitlement, the union claimed.
The strike will cause “serious disruption” to naval vessels, including submarines, which need the tugs to get into the docks and out again into open sea, Unite said.
But Serco denied the walkout would be as disruptive as the union anticipates and said it was not expecting any problems for the Royal Navy.
Most Read
Unite national officer Bobby Morton said: “This is a long-running dispute which has health and safety at its heart.
“The new roster system of three weeks ‘on’ and then weeks ‘off’ has meant increased fatigue for our members who do a very responsible job.
“The new system may suit the Serco management as a way for the outsourcing giant to increase its profit margins, but it is completely unacceptable to our members.
“The previous one week ‘on’ and one week ‘off’ pattern worked well for many years and should be reinstated – and we call on the management to take this step before this week’s strike.
“The strike will cause disruption to naval vessels which need the experienced tugboat crews to guide them into the docks and back out to sea once maintenance work and re-provisioning for the ships are completed.”
How to contact William Telford and Business Live
Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region.
To contact William: Email: william.telford@reachplc.com - Phone: 01752 293116 - Mob: 07584 594052 - Twitter: - LinkedIn: - Facebook:
Stay in touch: BusinessLive newsletters have been re-designed to make them even better. We send morning bulletins straight to your inbox on the latest news, views and opinion in the South West. Get our breaking news alerts and weekly sector reviews too. Sign up now - it's free and it only takes a minute. To sign up for Business Live's daily newsletters click .
And visit the Business Live South West LinkedIn page
A Serco spokesman said: “We are disappointed that the Unite trade union has decided to call this industrial action, however we do not expect there to be any disruption to Royal Navy movements.
Don’t miss
“We have held talks at Acas as well as local negotiations and we are continuing to work to find a negotiated resolution.”
The dispute has been simmering since 2020 and strikes were planned for the Christmas and New Year period, but Unite suspended them as “an act of goodwill” for talks under the auspices of the conciliation service, Acas, to take place. However, these have now reached an impasse the union said.
Tractor tug crew members had planned to strike between December 25 and 30. The strike action had been called earlier in December after a ballot, with a 92.3% turnout, saw 97.2% vote in favour of strike action.
The tug boats are vital for assisting Royal Navy vessels, including surface ships and submarines, to leave and return to harbour safely.