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Dock Work
I spent five days trying to deliver 20 tons of paper at Tilbury docks around 1970. Arrive at dock at 0600, join queue of lorry's, Book in when office opened. About 1130 Checker would come round, count so many vehicles to stay, signe the notes of the rest and tell them to come back tomorrow. this used to happen every day. About 1530, checker would come again, count vehicles again, keep enough to get there overtime up till 1900, ten send the rest away. They would usually be finished by 1815-30, and go home. They would unload nearly as many vehicles in there overtime as they did all day.
I was in and out of docks all over the country, i never saw a docker do a hard or full days work.The only dockers to work hard where those in the ships hold. Liverpool, London and Tilbury were the worst. Felixstow, I think was a private concern. There dockers could do more in three days than the otherswould do in a week.
Liverpool dockers day. Arrive at dock 0800. Start work 0815-20, Depending how far they had to walk to there work place (ship or dock shed). Teabreak about o930-1015. Dinner 1130-1300, teabreak 1430-1515. If not working overtime finish 1630. If working over time, then 1830. all times approximate.
They used to add exra time to there breaks to walk to the canteens. Thats why there breaks were so long.
Barney.
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