Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register LONDON, Aug 21 (Reuters) – More than 1,900 workers at Britain’s biggest container port are set to begin an eight-day strike on Sunday, which their union and shipping companies warn could severely affect trade and supply chains. Staff in Felixstowe, on England’s east coast, are taking industrial action in a pay dispute, the latest workers to strike in Britain as unions demand higher wages for members facing a cost-of-living crisis. “The strike will be hugely disruptive and will send huge shockwaves across the UK supply chain, but this dispute is entirely business-owned,” said Bobby Morton, Unite’s national officer for docks. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register “The [the company] had every opportunity to make our members a fair offer but chose not to.” On Friday, Felixstowe-based Hutchison Ports said it believed its offer of a 7% pay rise and a £500 ($604) lump sum was fair. It said the port workers’ union, which represents about 500 people in supervisory, engineering and clerical roles, had accepted the deal. Unite, which mainly represents dock workers, says the proposal is significantly below the current rate of inflation and follows a below-inflation rise last year. “The port regrets the impact this action will have on UK supply chains,” a Hutchison Ports spokesman said. The port said it will have a contingency plan in place and is working to minimize disruption during the strikes, which run until August 29. Shipping group Maersk ( MAERSKb.CO ), one of the world’s biggest container carriers, has warned that the action will have a significant impact, causing operational delays and forcing it to make changes to its fleet. Data released on August 17 showed that consumer price inflation in Britain reached 10.1% in July, the highest since February 1982, and some economists forecast it would reach 15% in the first three months of next year. amid rising energy and food costs. read more The squeeze on household incomes has already led to strikes such as rail and bus workers demanding higher pay rises. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Michael Holden Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
