Staff at P&O Ferries in Dover, Hull and Portsmouth have voted for industrial action at all three ports in a row over pay, working conditions and job losses at the company.
RMT union members at Dover voted for industrial action short of strike, while members at Hull and Portsmouth voted for strike action.
P&O has announced more than 1,000 job cuts, and unionists claim new pay and conditions could make them worse off by £3,000 a year.
RMT general secretary, Bob Crow, said members at Dover, Hull and Portsmouth voted for industrial action “against P&O’s slash-and-burn job cuts and against attacks on their pay and conditions”.
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“Members at Dover, despite bearing the brunt of appalling job losses over the last decade, have voted for industrial action short of strike,” he said. “RMT is a democratic union and their decision not to endorse strike action will of course be respected.
“We will be consulting with our port committees over the next 48 hours, and the RMT executive will meet towards the end of the week to plan a campaign of action in all three ports,” Crow said.