In protest of their pay and inflation, the dockworkers at Felixstowe, the largest Port in the UK, have begun a second eight-day strike that will run concurrently with the strike at the Port of Liverpool. The two port strikes pose a threat to imports and exports across industries, many of which are destined for the United States, at a crucial point in the holiday shipping season.
Around 1,900 Unite members at Felixstowe started the walkout at 7 a.m. on Tuesday. This came after a similar strike last month over pay.
On Tuesday morning, Miles Hubbard, a regional officer with Unite, was among a small group of people by Suffolk Port’s Dock Gate No. 1.
Red banners displaying the Unite logo floated in the wind along the edge of a nearby roundabout, where people had gathered daily during the first strike.
Early Tuesday morning, a crowd gathered there, but by 10 a.m., the roundabout was empty.
The Unite trade union wants a 10% pay raise, but the Port said it is putting in place a very fair 7% pay raise plus £500.
Unite said that the 7% raise was a pay cut in real terms because inflation was going up so fast.
The strike follows the British government’s announcement on Friday that it would tighten strike regulations. Eleven unions, including Unite, whose members are on strike at the ports of Liverpool and Felixstowe, are requesting a judicial review of the government’s strike-breaking laws.
During the first Felixstowe strike, Unite claimed that its members had rejected a pay offer from the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company that would have increased their average wage by 8%. In a statement posted on the Port’s website at the time, CK Hutchison Holding Ltd expressed its “disappointment” at the walkout’s continuation and defended the adequacy of the 8% wage increase it had offered.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Port expressed its disappointment that Unite has declared this fresh strike action. The Port further stated that there is no hope of reaching an agreement with the union at this point in the collective bargaining process.
Carriers are better prepared for the strike this time around
On the eve of the second eight-day strike at the UK’s largest container port, Felixstowe, carriers have advanced some ship calls and delayed others, while other imports will be diverted to other UK ports.
Due to North European ports being less congested, shipping lines will be able to navigate around the action in Felixstowe with less supply chain impact than during the first strike in August.
Carriers have removed significant capacity from Asia loops in the last month to ease the impact of decreased demand, relieving strain on congested terminals and reducing landside delays.
Furthermore, after a payment agreement was reached, industrial action at German ports was postponed, and weekly strikes at Le Havre were also called off.
