News
topical
Staff at Felixstowe, Britain’s main container port, will be on strike for more than a week later this month amid dissatisfaction with the failure of wage negotiations. According to union Unite, the strike against nearly 2000 port workers will last from August 21 to 29.
AP
August 5, 2022
The port of Felixstowe, northeast of London, accounts for nearly half of the containers handled in the UK. It was recently announced that staff have agreed to a strike after negotiations over a wage increase failed. The port is owned by the Hutchison Ports company. A 7 percent pay increase was offered, but declined. Dock workers want more wages to offset high inflation.
Union Unite said it would completely close the port with a strike, with serious disruptions to logistics and transportation. According to the union, this will be difficult to feel in the supply chain in the UK. Felixstowe handles about 2000 ships and more than 4 million containers annually.
Hutchison Ports said it would be the first attack on Felixstowe since 1989. The company will resume talks with unions next week and hope to find a solution to prevent such action.
Last year’s Brexit forced several large ships to divert to other ports due to congestion at Felixstowe. Due to a shortage of drivers, the containers could not be transported further inland. There is also no space to store containers at the port.
“Falls down a lot. General tv buff. Incurable zombie fan. Subtly charming problem solver. Amateur explorer.”
