Lack of safety at ports puts lives at risk, says Unite

http://www.tgwu.org.uk/Templates/News.asp?NodeID=93911

Government ministers got a broadside from a working tugman over their failure to give sufficient priority to health and safety in UK ports and harbours.
Speaking at the 1st Annual UK Ports and Shipping Conference, Richard Crease from Unite, Britain's largest union which represents over 11,000 members on the docks, working in pilotage and towage and the inland waterways, said the union had serious concerns about safety.
"I have worked for 26 years as a tugman at the Port of Southampton. We have been very concerned that the Government intends to continue, for the foreseeable future, broadly its present policies in regard to safety within the ports," he told the conference. "We believe that the Department of Transport's recent Port Policy document does not give sufficient priority to the subjects of the safety, welfare and security of employment of the workforce employed in the ports industry."

Full report here: http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/shippingports/ports/portspolicyreview/portspolicyreviewinterimreport

Further three day strike planned at Dover Port

http://www.tgwu.org.uk/Templates/News.asp?NodeID=94612

Hundreds of Unite members working at the Dover Harbour Board will begin a further three day strike starting 7.00am on Thursday (27th November). They will be demanding that their jobs not be outsourced.
Unite members voted overwhelmingly in favour (83.8 per cent) of strike action. Unite does not take strike action lightly and is still prepared to negotiate over the best way of protecting its members' jobs.

Bad bosses may damage your heart.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7745324.stm

Inconsiderate bosses not only make work stressful, they may also increase the risk of heart disease for their employees, experts believe.
A Swedish team found a strong link between poor leadership and the risk of serious heart disease and heart attacks among more than 3,000 employed men.
And the effect may be cumulative - the risk went up the longer an employee worked for the same company.
The study is published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Experts said that feeling undervalued and unsupported at work can cause stress, which often fosters unhealthy behaviours, such as smoking, that can lead to heart disease.

Do you want to know how well the company did in 2007?

http://202.66.146.82/listco/hk/hutchison/annual/2007/ports.pdf

http://www.hutchison-whampoa.com/eng/investor/annual/annual.htm#ar07

http://www.hutchison-whampoa.com/europe/eng/ir/finhigh.htm

Felixstowe Radio's Port Report

This is our first newsletter covering the Ports of Felixstowe and Harwich and the River Orwell.
Felixstowe Radio is a community radio station providing a platform for anyone interested in this area. Now we broadcast on the Internet at www.felixstoweradio.co.uk with 24/7 live radio (listen live) and a podcast facility (listen again).Soon we move into a shop at Great Eastern Square, and in 2009 will start FM broadcasting in the Felixstowe area and surrounding villages and parts of Harwich.Community radio is what we all make it. We will support ourselves through advertising, sponsored programmes, and making our skills and production facilities available to everyone. Our crew are amongst the most talented in the country - when you need video or audio you need us. Advertising terms are competitive. Early supporters have live advertising slots for as little as one pound.There will be a regular programmes about activities at the ports, always available as podcasts. This is your chance to tell your story. Send company press releases, snippets of fun and information to port@felixstoweradio.co.uk To give you a taste of what can happen go to http://www.canstream.co.uk/felixstowe/index.php?cat=Port for three programmes: Mick Lungley talks about his life as the skipper of a working Thames sailing barge, Rob Anning, Methodist Minister mentions his work at the port and there's a report about the start of work on the new South Felixstowe dock.Talk to us, talk to Felixstowe, and we can all have some fun, and perhaps gain a little information on the way.Email port@felixstoweradio.co.uk or call 01394 273028 for more information.

Don't expect any overtime!

CKYH Alliance to cut Asia-North Europe tonnage.

http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/ckyh-alliance-to-cut-asia-north-europe-tonnage/20017592683.htm;jsessionid=CE279BAE3B64FF01F6C84C5A32E6AAC1

THE CKYH Alliance, consisting of Coscon, K Line, Yang Ming and Hanjin Shipping, has revealed its winter slack-season service rationalization programme will see an incremental 30% tonnage reduction on the Asia-North Europe services beginning end-November.The alliance will combine the AES and AEN loops, each being operated by eight 8,200 teu to 10,000 teu vessels from Coscon, into one service called CNEU from the end of November.Coscon will deploy ten 9,469 teu to 10,000 teu ships on the new CNEU, which means the line will drop six post-panamax vessels from the route.The CNEU will cover most of the port calls of the existing AES and AEN, except Xiamen and Lianyungang.The new loop will rotate: Dalian, Xingang, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Hong Kong, Yantian, Nansha, Singapore, Rotterdam, Felixstowe, Hamburg, Antwerp, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Dalian. Moreover, the alliance said it will suspend a number of sailings in both the AES2 and AES3 services from mid December.

Job losses confirmed at city port

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/7735232.stm

The owners of Southampton docks are set to shed 45 staff due to the downturn in the economy.
Associated British Ports (ABP) confirmed that 10% of its workforce would go at the Hampshire port.
In a statement the company said: "It is with regret that we can confirm it is necessary for a number of redundancies to be made at the Port of Southampton.
"The process will be conducted in full consultation with the relevant trade unions and staff representatives."
No timescale has been placed on the period of redundancy consultation.
Matthew Tipper, of Unite, said redundancy negotiations are due to start with ABP next Monday.