Port staffs’ concerns over meeting (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Port staffs’ concerns over meeting

12:01pm Wednesday 8th July 2009

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HUNDREDS of container port workers are being called to a staff meeting today for a briefing on their future.

Just weeks after nearly 100 staff were axed from the workforce, staff who contacted the Daily Echo said they feared they could be in line for further job losses Port bosses declined to discuss the reason for the meeting, responding to enquiries with a brief 19-word statement saying it was “an update to our staff on our trading position and outlook”.

The news is unlikely to make easy listening for the workforce.

Dubai-based terminal operator DP World refuses to discuss performance of its individual sites, but the Daily Echo has previously learnt the box trade in Southampton has plummeted by more than ten per cent.

The ongoing global recession also means container trade with Asia, Southampton’s core business, has been particularly hard hit and shows little signs of improvement.

At the same time, key clients such as Maersk line, the world’s largest container operator, have switched services away to rival operators.

To add to the terminal’s woes, the Government is to hike the taxes on big ships calling in UK ports.

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