A strike scheduled to last eight days began on Sunday at the UK’s largest cargo port, the latest in a series of industrial actions spanning many sectors to demand better wages in the face of record inflation. After three consecutive days of strikes that have interrupted transport, in particular rail, it is the turn of the port of Felixstowe affected on Sunday. This is the first strike since 1989 for the eastern English port, which handles around four million containers a year.
Some 1,900 members of the Unite union, including crane operators, machine operators and dockworkers, have walked off the job to demand pay rises amid the UK’s cost of living crisis. Inflation reached 10.1% annually in July and could exceed 13% in October, the highest level for a G7 country.
“Felixstowe Docks is extremely profitable. The latest figures show that in 2020 they made £61m (nearly €72m) in profit,” said Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham. “Its parent company, CK Hutchison Holding Ltd, is so wealthy that in the same year it doled out £99m to its shareholders. So they can give Felixstowe workers a decent pay rise,” she said.
They propose an 8% salary increase
For their part, Felixstowe port officials said they were “disappointed that Unite did not accept our offer to call off the strike and come to the table for constructive discussions to find a solution.” The company said it had proposed a salary increase that it considered “fair” at 8% on average and close to 10% for the lowest paid employees.
The port “regrets the impact this action will have on UK supply chains” and says it is working with its customers to “limit disruptions”. However, a port source told the PA news agency the strikes would be an “inconvenience and not a disaster”, saying the supply chain was used to disruptions since the pandemic.
Source: BFM TV
