Quote:
Originally Posted by Fina
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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deckboy peggy.yes fina every word true ,we were second class workers and inthe same union or else you didnt get tipped they deserved all they got ,
and none of the local [allright johns] never went to the docks only shunters and they were as bad as the dockers.the one good thing about l/pool was you allways got pleanty of good food.no wonder lots of us drivers in our 60s have high blood pressure its rembering those bas.... dockers.and their right to good money and never work..what about GLADSON DOCKl/pool any hand ball and you had to do it. we used to go with case cars and had to sling it ourselfs and they would soon get their days tonage in and you had done it for them. then they would be off to the pub. thank you lord leve who brought containers in that stuffed them. southampton102 or204 berth ive forgot were absoultly ****.... i am so pleased that at least some of the older drivers are still around and still hate the DOCKERS and all they stood for they made our lives a blo... nightmare.praise to the containers.