July 28, Reuters (London) reported that the United Workers Union said on Thursday that staff at Felixstowe, the UK’s largest container port, votedSupporting industrial action over pay disputes and warning of severe disruptions across the supply chain.
With wages failing to keep pace with inflation, dockworkers have joined a growing number of strikes by workers in industries ranging from railways to telecoms. Inflation in the UK is expected to reach double digits by the end of the year.
“Strike action will bring Felixstowe to a standstill and will cause major logistical problems for sea and road transport into the port.”Unite said in a statement.
Miles Hubbard, Unite’s regional officer, said strike action would “inevitably cause huge disruption to the UK’s supply chains”. The union said workers at the Felixstowe terminal operated by Hutchison Ports have received a 5% pay rise.
A port spokesman said: “The company has made what we believe to be a very fair offer and we are disappointed with the outcome of the vote. We hope that any industrial action can be avoided.” The spokesman added that the union had agreed to negotiate with the company next week Request to meet with ACAS Mediation Service.
The union did not give a specific date for the strike action, but it can be confirmed that the strike action will be held next month and has been supported by 92% of voters.
It is worth noting that Britain’s rail systemmore than 50,000 staff continue to work on 6 After the largest strike in the past 30 years was held in March, the strike plan has even been scheduled to August. The strike will continue on August 18 and August 20 respectively. Maersk issued an announcement saying this would cause significant disruption to the entire UK rail network.
Separately, earlier this month, Unite said it was also voting on possible strike action for hundreds of dockworkers in Liverpool.
More than 500 dockworkers in Liverpool will vote on whether to go on strike over wages and working conditions. The action could bring Peel Port, one of the UK’s largest container ports, to a “virtual standstill” at the end of August. “Strike action will inevitably severely impact shipping and road transport and cause supply chain shortages, but this dispute is entirely of Peel Port’s own making “The United Farm Workers Union has engaged in extensive negotiations with the company, but it has refused to address members’ concerns,” said Steven Gerrard, the union’s regional officer.
As the second largest port group in the UK, Peel Port handles more than 70 million tons of cargo every year. Voting for strike action will open on July 25 and end on August 15.
It is worth noting that Europe’s major ports can no longer withstand the torment. These strikes have largely affected the cargo flow at major ports such as Hamburg, Bremerhaven and Wilhelmshaven. Loading and unloading are basically paralyzed. Although there is no strike at the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, due to the transfer of cargo volume from Hamburg, Antwerp and other congested ports, the port is also relatively busy, and the waiting time for ships to enter the port is lengthened.
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