Response to the statement by Unite on the privatisation of the Port

27 August 2010

Today's statement by union Unite has failed to grasp the rationale and driving force behind the Port of Dover's voluntary privatisation scheme.

Unite claims that it would be disastrous for UK transport and the economy to let the port fall into private hands.  It is entirely for the long term benefit of UK transport and the UK economy that the privatisation scheme is currently being considered by the Department for Transport.  As a trust port, the Port of Dover is unable to finance significant additional capacity when required as its status as a public corporation does not allow it to borrow.  This will have the ultimate effect of the port being unable in the longer term to handle the increase in traffic forecast over the next 30 years.  This in turn will create unsustainable congestion and a wholly inefficient port which, as a facility handling around £80 billion of goods a year will be detrimental to the local and national economy.

Unite suggests that a sell-off was shelved by the previous Government due to an unfavourable response.  In fact, it was the previous Government calling a General Election which meant that a decision was unlikely to be made until a new Government was in place.  The Port welcomed the new Government's extension of the consultation period as an opportunity to present greater detail on the scheme and the benefits it will bring.  Indeed, such benefits are unprecedented in that a Port of Dover Community Trust (PDCT) would be established with an immediate cash sum of £10 million with a tripling of the PDCT's assets through the holding of shares in the new company.  The PDCT would be independently chaired and would be both representative and for the benefit of the local community and the long term regeneration of the area. 
As a trust port, the Port of Dover cannot pursue such a course as all of its profit has to be ploughed back into maintaining and enhancing the port.  Therefore, for Unite to state that the people of Dover will lose out is entirely wrong and its claim that the port's discharge of social responsibility will suffer is misguided when the port will, through the PDCT, be in a position to do so much more for Dover and its community than it has been able to do for the past 400 years.

Unite's statement fails to recognise that the Port of Dover's scheme is a unique opportunity to expand the business, create jobs and prosperity, unite the port with its community and secure the long term future of a key national asset that will need to expand and grow if it is to remain the jewel in the crown which everyone wishes it to be.