Unite the union has confirmed that its members at the Lerwick Port Authority are taking part in an industrial action ballot over pay, terms and conditions.
Workers included within the ballot at the main port in the Shetland Islands have already unanimously backed industrial action in a consultative ballot.
Strike action by the workers - who include engineers, electricians, joiners and general operatives - is likely to disrupt shipping at the harbour, which will include cruise liners, and oil and gas vessels, as well as general shipping.
Unite members are challenging detrimental changes to basic pay, overtime, standby and call-out payments, plus pension contributions, which will further cut incomes for workers who already derive 40p in every pound of their pay from overtime payments.
Unite is demanding that the port workers be brought into line with industry standards set by National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry Projects (NAECI) and the Scottish Joint Industry Board (SJIB).
The port authority's turnover increased to £11.65m in 2019 up from £10.90m in 2018. Profit after-tax for 2019 also increased to £2.97m from £1.78m in the previous year. Lerwick also recently received a £30m upgrade.
The ballot on industrial action is set to close on 9 March. If the ballot is successful, then the port authority could face strikes and an overtime from the end of March onwards.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Lerwick Port Authority has held down wages too long and this workforce is not standing for it any longer with their union’s full support.
“This business is doing very well financially, so there are no grounds whatsoever for undermining our members’ pay and pensions.
“The employer should return to the table with a more sensible and respectful offer. Unite will always fiercely defend the jobs, terms and conditions of our members.”
John Clark, Unite industrial officer, added: “Talks are continuing and we hope that the discussions can prevent any dispute.
“But, if there is no breakthrough, the Lerwick Port Authority management will be left in no doubt that our members will fight to win a fair pay deal and to reverse a number of detrimental changes made to their contracts.”
Last year saw a 20% year-on-year increase in the number of oil-related vessel arrivals at Lerwick, although there was also a 7.5% decrease in tonnage at 1.1 million gross tonnes.
The tonnage figure for 2020 was boosted by delivery of the Ninian Northern topside for decommissioning.
Oil-related cargo movement tonnages were up 10% to 60,180 tonnes.
Total cargo for the year reached 883,844 tonnes – up 17% overall and 14% on roll-on/roll-off ferries from Aberdeen. There were 4,168 vessel arrivals overall - down 5% - although total shipping tonnage was up 9% at 8,902,647 tonnes.
Pilotage movements were up 12% at 609, mainly due to the cruise season reopening and more oil-related traffic.
Lerwick Port Authority chief executive Calum Grains said: “The activity levels in the oil sector are encouraging, but - as in other areas of operations - must be viewed against a very poor year in 2020 because of Covid-19.
“We’re heading slowly in the right direction, with a long way to go to get back to normal levels.”
Total passenger numbers almost doubled for the year, with a 92% increase to 111,035, due to the lifting of Covid restrictions.
A brief 2021 cruise season saw 18 vessels, including new-build ships and new operators visiting for the first time, carrying 8,642 passengers.
Ferry passengers were up 81% to 102,393 in the second half of last year, but are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.
There was a 9% drop in fishing vessels using the port during 2021, but white-fish landings remained steady at 204,534 boxes – down less than 1% on the previous year.
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