Docks, Ports & Waterways Update March/April 2025
A MESSAGE FROM YOUR NATIONAL SECRETARY Dear Colleagues,
Your union is looking to put a greater emphasis and raise awareness of the organising activity that we are involved in across many of the workplaces in the docks, ports and waterways section of our union. We have recently initiated a sector specific organising programme to increase the focus on this area, with a view to developing greater visibility of our union and progressing the priorities of you and your colleagues so that we are better organised than ever before within your sector. As a union we have significant membership within this sector, and in recent years we have changed our union’s rulebook as there was separation with some members being organised by “General
Grades Branches” and other organised by “Shipping Branches”. This had unintended consequences and members working for some employers would previously not have been able to participate in elections that directly impacted on the organisation of your workplace. The changes put in place now give us an opportunity to both intensify our focus on your sector, and improve our visibility and initiate sector specific campaigns. To achieve this, we need to increase the number of activists that we have within the sector. Each member of the union is placed within a branch based upon geographical linkage which is explained in detail in this newsletter and should be the architect of all that we do. I hope this update will provide you with a broader understanding of the work taking place within your sector and encourage you to become actively involved in your union.
Regards, Darren Procter