A survey has revealed what a UK trade union calls widespread dissatisfaction among Britain’s port and waterways workforce. Members of the UK trade union RMT (known historically as the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) have raised serious concerns about pay, safety, and working conditions across docks, ports, and inland waterways. The survey was carried out among its more than 80,000 members.
The survey highlights persistent issues, says the RMT, in a sector critical to the UK’s import and export trade, where ports handle hundreds of millions of tonnes of cargo each year. Workers report that longstanding problems remain unresolved, despite decades of experience and expertise.
Pay, conditions, safety
The most frequently cited concern was remuneration, with 34% of respondents describing their pay as inadequate. Members also highlighted the need for improved terms and conditions, reflecting broader challenges across the UK’s logistics and transport sectors, which have faced labour shortages and rising operational pressures.
Safety issues were raised by 28% of respondents, including equipment standards, site conditions, and overall safety management. Workers rated the sector’s safety culture at just 5 out of 10, signalling widespread dissatisfaction with employer performance on fundamental safety responsibilities. Fatigue and long working hours were another significant concern, with 22% of respondents citing insufficient breaks and excessive schedules. Around 10% of members also reported issues with outdated equipment and infrastructure, which they say affect both operational efficiency and day-to-day safety.
Union response
RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said the survey exposes a pattern of low pay, poor safety standards and growing fatigue across docks, ports, and waterways. “These are long-standing failures by employers to provide safe, properly resourced workplaces. Our members have decades of experience and know exactly what is going wrong. We will continue to campaign and organise in the sector, demanding fair pay, safe conditions and the basic standards every worker is entitled to,” he said.
The union remains one of the largest and most influential in Britain’s industrial sector. RMT describes itself as “Britain’s largest specialist transport trade union” with “more than 83,000 members from almost every sector of the transport industry — from the mainline and underground railways, shipping and offshore, buses and road freight”. Of that membership, 5000 – 6000 work in the maritime sector.