Felixstowe, in southeast England, handles more than 4 million containers each year, half of the daily total at UK ports. It is directly connected to over 700 ports around the world.
London, Thanasis Gavos
In eight-day strike 1,900 workers have come down since Sunday port of Felixstowein its largest commercial port Britain.
The strikers, members of the Unite trade union, are demanding better pay amid a crisis in British households caused by the rising cost of living.
At the same time, their strike further heightens concerns about the orderly functioning of the UK trade market and the adequacy of the supply chain following successive strikes in the transport sector.
Felixstowe, in southeast England, handles more than 4 million containers each year, half of the daily total at UK ports. It is directly connected to over 700 ports around the world.
Experts warn that given the time it takes to process imports from Southeast Asia, the strike could lead to shortages over the Christmas period.
Some analysts have even spoken of the possibility of food shortages in the country’s supermarkets due to the strike which is expected to last until next Monday, as well as shortages of parts and components for the British car industry.
Already the world’s largest container shipping company, Maersk, has diverted three of its ships to other European ports and is considering the impact of the strike on a further 11 of its ships.
Despite the concerns, workers stress that with inflation now at 10.1%, the port operator Hutchison Ports’ offer of 7% increases falls short of their expectations and needs. The port authority, however, maintains that it has proposed increases between 8.1% and 9.6%.
The port workers are also planning a strike at the country’s fourth largest port, that of Liverpool.
The increasingly difficult economic situation in Britain has caused a wave of strikes since the beginning of the summer, with the most dynamic and frequent ones on the railways.
In the morning, in fact, the criminal lawyers in England and Wales voted in favor of strike action lasting from next month.
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