A CONTINUOUS strike by the pilots who bring oil and gas tankers safely into the Milford Haven waterway, planned for later this month, will not go ahead now.

The Port of Milford Haven has previously confirmed it had notification from union Unite that its members in the Port’s Pilotage, Launch Crew and Port Control teams intended to undertake industrial action in the form of a continuous strike starting on February 19.

Pilot teams are navigational experts responsible for steering large tankers safely into the Milford Haven waterway.

Unite official Allan Card has previously said the union was in discussion with the Port about its plan to introduce a different pension scheme for new staff joining the pilots, launch crew or port control team.

The pilot teams had implemented a ban on overtime, which started on January 28 and has led to tankers queueing outside the Haven.

The Port is looking to close its Defined Benefit pension scheme to new members to replace it with a Defined Contribution (DC) scheme, which Mr Card said would also be less secure than the current pension and amounted to a “two-tier pension system”.

A Port of Milford Haven spokesman said: “The Port of Milford Haven and Unite have today, February 14, jointly announce that their discussions have concluded, and all industrial action has ceased.

“The dispute related to concerns regarding the creation of a two-tier workforce. Both parties are pleased to have come to an agreement.

“Unite, its members employed at the Port and management at the Port of Milford Haven have engaged in constructive dialogue which we look forward to continuing into the future.”

Andy Jones, interim chief executive at the Port of Milford Haven said: “As of 3pm today, the Port resumed normal operations. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers and wider stakeholders for their constructive support during this episode.”