Robbie Fowler: was fined after wearing a t-shirt in tribute to the Liverpool striking dockworkers in 1997

The parent company of Marine Terminals Limited (MTL), whose two-month dispute with Dublin port workers will be heard at the Labour Relations Commission tomorrow morning, also owns the company involved in the infamous Liverpool dock workers dispute from 1995 to 1998.

The Liverpool strike started after dockers refused to pass a picket line after a subcontractor laid off workers at the port and, famously, footballer Robbie Fowler was fined after showing a t-shirt supporting the workers when he scored against Brann Bergen in 1997. The port there is owned by Mersey Docks and Harbour Board which was acquired by Peel Holdings, which owns MTL, in 2005.

Trade union Siptu, which represents the 40 striking workers in Dublin, claim MTL is trying to introduce compulsory redundancies and cut the pay and working conditions of remaining staff. Siptu said that MTL have been using a security company called Control Risks and claim the company, which operates in trouble spots such as Iraq, has "never bothered to seek a licence in Ireland".

The Private Security Authority (PSA), which regulates the security industry here, has commenced an investigation into the service being provided at MTL by Control Risks.

A spokeswoman for Control Risks said that client confidentiality precludes it from making any comment on specific contracts but said it is always compliant with the relevant local legislation. The £7bn Peel Holdings group holds 37.26 acres in the Poolbeg area on a long leasehold, using it for lo-lo services.