A strike over pay demands at the UK’s biggest cargo port will result in “severe disruption” to the supply chain, a Unite union spokesman said today.
The eight-day strike, which began yesterday, Sunday, at the port of Felixstowe, in eastern England, “could end this afternoon if the employer agrees to meet us for real negotiations”, stressed Robert Morton, head of logistics union.
But if this is not done, “the supply chain will suffer serious disruptions. It is one of the unfortunate consequences of such situations,” he added, speaking to the Sky News television station.
Unite members are calling for pay rises “at least equal to the rate of inflation”, while employers have proposed 7%, he said.
“If we don’t achieve our goals, there will be more strikes,” he warned.
Inflation reached 10.1% year-on-year in July and may exceed 13% in October, which is the highest rate in a Group of Seven (G7) country of more developed industrialized countries.
It is the first strike since 1989 at this port, which handles around four million containers a year.
According to a note today from financial analyst firm Hargreaves Lansdown, Felixstowe “is a vital cog in the UK’s retail business and an eight-day strike risks leading to supermarket supply problems”.
Source: Capital
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