The strike at Felixstowe port on the east coast caps a week which has seen several strikes by thousands of transport workers over pay disputes as the crisis bites into the cost of living. Around 1,900 Unite members, including crane drivers, engine operators and stevedores, will take part in the first strike to disrupt the port since 1989, after a 9-1 vote in favour. The union has warned that the stoppage at the port, which handles almost half of the containers entering the country, will have a significant impact on UK supply chains and the logistics and transport sectors. However, a port source played down the warning, telling the PA news agency that the strikes would be “a nuisance rather than a disaster”. The supply chain is used for post-pandemic disruptions, he claimed. “Disruption is the new normal. The supply chain has moved from ‘just in case’,” he added. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the Felixstowe docks were “extremely profitable”. “The latest figures show that in 2020 it had a profit of £61m,” he said. “Its parent company, CK Hutchison Holding Ltd, is so wealthy that, in the same year, it distributed £99 million to its shareholders. “So they can give Felixstowe workers a decent pay rise,” he argued. The Port of Felixstowe said it was “disappointed” that Unite “did not come to the table for constructive discussions to find a solution”. “We recognize that these are difficult times, but … we believe that the company’s offer, valued at more than 8% on average … is fair,” it said in a statement. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 8:18 “Threats” by Grand Sapps “The port regrets the impact this action will have on UK supply chains… there will be no winners from this unnecessary industrial action,” it added. According to the company, the Port of Felixstowe staff union, which represents around 500 positions, has voted to accept the same pay offer that Unite had refused to make to its members.
