Liverpool Dockers' Strike
Encyclopedia
The Liverpool Dockers' Strike lasted from 1995 to 1998.
Although referred to as a strike it was strictly a dispute because the employers, the MDHC (Mersey Docks and Harbour Company
) had actually used the opportunity to sack the dockers who were caught up in a separate dispute.
The Liverpool dockers refused to cross a picket line
set up in support of a group of fellow dockers working for Torside. That was on 29 September 1995, and they were sacked by their employers. Some dockers were offered new contracts but all contracts were subject to alteration by the MDHC, so the dispute began. Over the next two and a half years the dockers waged a very high profile public campaign for their reinstatement, and allied themselves with dockers worldwide and support groups such as Reclaim the Streets
. The strike failed in its declared objectives, but was very successful in providing a modern example of strong social movement unionism
in the United Kingdom
. A t-shirt was designed to show support for the dockers incorporating the Calvin Klein
'CK' into the word docker. The t-shirt was worn by many celebrities but most famously by Robbie Fowler
during a goal celebration while playing for Liverpool FC.
The dispute went on to be one of the longest in British industrial relations history. It was in February 1998 that the dockers finally accepted a settlement.
British director Ken Loach
made a documentary about the strike, The Flickering Flame, in 1997. A group of sacked dockers themselves wrote the script for a film about their experiences with the help of well-known Liverpool
writer Jimmy McGovern
and the author Irvine Welsh
. The film, 'Dockers', was shown on Channel 4
in 1999.
After the dispute some of the dockers bought the Casa Bar on Hope St. in Liverpool town centre.
Although referred to as a strike it was strictly a dispute because the employers, the MDHC (Mersey Docks and Harbour Company
Mersey Docks and Harbour Company
The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company , formerly the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board , owns and administers the dock facilities of the Port of Liverpool, on the River Mersey, England...
) had actually used the opportunity to sack the dockers who were caught up in a separate dispute.
The Liverpool dockers refused to cross a picket line
Picket line
A picket line is a horizontal rope, along which horses are tied at intervals. The rope can be on the ground, at chest height , or overhead. The overhead form usually is called a high line....
set up in support of a group of fellow dockers working for Torside. That was on 29 September 1995, and they were sacked by their employers. Some dockers were offered new contracts but all contracts were subject to alteration by the MDHC, so the dispute began. Over the next two and a half years the dockers waged a very high profile public campaign for their reinstatement, and allied themselves with dockers worldwide and support groups such as Reclaim the Streets
Reclaim the Streets
Reclaim The Streets is a collective with a shared ideal of community ownership of public spaces. Participants characterize the collective as a resistance movement opposed to the dominance of corporate forces in globalization, and to the car as the dominant mode of transport.-Protests:Reclaim The...
. The strike failed in its declared objectives, but was very successful in providing a modern example of strong social movement unionism
Social Movement Unionism
Social Movement Unionism is a trend of theory and practice in contemporary trade unionism. Strongly associated with the labour movements of developing countries, Social Movement Unionism is distinct from many other models of trade unionism because it concerns itself with more than organising...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. A t-shirt was designed to show support for the dockers incorporating the Calvin Klein
Calvin Klein
Calvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Klein has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewelry....
'CK' into the word docker. The t-shirt was worn by many celebrities but most famously by Robbie Fowler
Robbie Fowler
Robert Bernard Fowler is an English footballer who is currently player/manager for Thai Premier League club Muangthong United....
during a goal celebration while playing for Liverpool FC.
The dispute went on to be one of the longest in British industrial relations history. It was in February 1998 that the dockers finally accepted a settlement.
British director Ken Loach
Ken Loach
Kenneth "Ken" Loach is a Palme D'Or winning English film and television director.He is known for his naturalistic, social realist directing style and for his socialist beliefs, which are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as homelessness , labour rights and child abuse at the...
made a documentary about the strike, The Flickering Flame, in 1997. A group of sacked dockers themselves wrote the script for a film about their experiences with the help of well-known Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
writer Jimmy McGovern
Jimmy McGovern
Jimmy McGovern is a BAFTA award-winning English television scriptwriter from Liverpool.-Early career:McGovern started his career working on Channel 4's soap opera Brookside in 1982, tackling many social issues such as unemployment.-Successes:...
and the author Irvine Welsh
Irvine Welsh
Irvine Welsh is a contemporary Scottish novelist, best known for his novel Trainspotting. His work is characterised by raw Scottish dialect, and brutal depiction of the realities of Edinburgh life...
. The film, 'Dockers', was shown on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in 1999.
After the dispute some of the dockers bought the Casa Bar on Hope St. in Liverpool town centre.
Resources
- The Dockers, article in Hidden Agendas (pages 334-358) by John Pilger, Vintage 1998.
- Another World is Possible: How the Liverpool Dockers Launched a Global Movement, Pauline Bradley and Chris Knight. Published by the Radical Anthropology Group, 2004. Pamphlet by two members of the London Support Group.
- http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/ws/liver49.html
See also
- Social Movement UnionismSocial Movement UnionismSocial Movement Unionism is a trend of theory and practice in contemporary trade unionism. Strongly associated with the labour movements of developing countries, Social Movement Unionism is distinct from many other models of trade unionism because it concerns itself with more than organising...
- Reclaim the StreetsReclaim the StreetsReclaim The Streets is a collective with a shared ideal of community ownership of public spaces. Participants characterize the collective as a resistance movement opposed to the dominance of corporate forces in globalization, and to the car as the dominant mode of transport.-Protests:Reclaim The...
- Transport & General Workers' Union (T&G)
- Bill MorrisBill MorrisWilliam Manuel Morris, Baron Morris of Handsworth, OJ , generally known as Bill Morris, was general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union from 1992 to 2003, and the first black leader of a British trade union....
- United Socialist Party (UK)United Socialist Party (UK)The United Socialist Party is a British political organisation based in Liverpool. It was formed by a number of former Liverpool Dockers who had been active in the strike of the 1990s...
External links
- The Liverpool 47
- The Mersey Docks Dispute by Dave Graham
- The Liverpool Dockers - 2 years fighting
- Photographs of the dispute by Liverpool photographer Dave Sinclair