Negotiation failed! Two ports’ dockers will hold on strike at the same time

The UK's Unite union has confirmed that the Port of Felixstowe will hold a second eight-day strike from September 27 to October 5, matching the port of Liverpool's planned strike from September 19 to October 3 overlapping. A coordinated strike is underway as talks between the port operator and the Unite union stall over the size of pay rises for more than 2,500 dockers at both ports.

The first strike brought the port of Felixstowe to a standstill, and the previous eight-day strike may have affected the movement of about $4.7 billion in containerized cargo, according to an analysis of trade data by MDS Transmodal, which is expected to last for months.

"Further strike action will inevitably lead to delays and disruptions to the UK supply chain, but this is entirely of the company's own making." Unite union official Bobby Morton said the company was not seeking a negotiated agreement to resolve the dispute, but was trying to Imposing a pay agreement. "

The Port of Felixstowe said in a statement it was "disappointed" by the news of the strike. "The collective bargaining process is exhausted and there is little hope of reaching a deal with the unions," said Port Felixstowe, which is run by the UK branch of CK Hutchison. The port believes that the negotiation process has stalled even after mediation, and so the report said, "the port is implementing a 7% salary incentive of 500 pounds (about 575 US dollars) from January 1, 2022." And the union demanded Pay rises to accommodate inflation in the UK, currently around 11%.

The strike at the Port of Felixstowe overlaps with a two-week strike previously announced at the Port of Liverpool. The Port of Liverpool is run by Peel Ports, which is also in a pay dispute with the Unite union. The Unite union announced in early September that more than 560 port operators and maintenance engineers at the Port of Liverpool had voted for a strike scheduled for September 19 to October 3. However, the strike has been postponed until September 20 to avoid coinciding with Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.

Shipping lines have started notifying customers about the Liverpool strike and will reroute cargo mainly through other UK ports, but another strike at Felixstowe has sparked fears that the London Gateway and Southampton ports could be overwhelmed .

With the peak shipping season ahead of Christmas and a winter when heating bills soar, Britain's supply chain is becoming increasingly fragile. If the strike action at the two ports overlaps, it will bring more than half of the UK's container imports and exports to a halt.

The ports are just part of a continuing wave of strikes that have plagued the UK over the past few weeks. Rail unions have suspended their strike action during the official 10 days of mourning in honour of the Queen, but are expected to resume action later this month. Even Royal Mail staff are planning a two-day strike at the end of the month.

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