The United Kingdom’s Port of Felixstowe has confirmed that it has received notice from the trade union Unite that workers intend to embark on further strike action on September 27 over a pay dispute.
The news of a fresh bout of industrial action over a dispute that has dragged on for weeks at the UK’s largest port follows an announcement that workers at the Port of Liverpool will down tools from September 19 to October 3, also in a fight over pay hikes.
Felixstowe port management confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that the company had received a notice of further eight-day strike action from Unite, for the period September 17 to October 5. Workers are expected to return to work at 07h00 on October 5.
“We are very disappointed that Unite has announced this further strike action at this time. The collective bargaining process has been exhausted and there is no prospect of agreement being reached with the union. The port is in the process of implementing the 2022 pay award of 7% plus £500 which is backdated to January 1,” Felixstowe port said.
However, Unite earlier vowed to investigate the port’s financial statements, saying it could well afford to pay workers a higher inflation-related increase, especially since they had agreed to take a below-inflation pay hike of 1.4% in 2021. The UK’s real inflation rate is around 11.8%.
Unite has expressed its outrage at the wage increase proposal.
“Amid the worst cost of living crisis in a generation, the dockworkers have been given a real terms pay cut. This is totally unacceptable. The Port of Felixstowe is fabulously wealthy and profitable, banking pre-tax profits of £61 million in 2020, and doling out £100m in dividends to shareholders. If it can afford these huge sums, it can easily afford to pay our members a fair pay rise. A wage rise to help them cope with their soaring living costs,” Unite said in a statement.
Last month around 1 900 Felixstowe dockworkers downed tools over the same pay dispute, and now they will be joined by more than 560 dockworkers who will strike over a pay row and working conditions at the Port of Liverpool.
Striking port workers have vowed to continue with their industrial action despite workers in other sectors of the economy placing their strikes on hold out of respect for Queen Elizabeth II who died on September 8.
