Logistics delay warning! 92% of workers at the UK's largest port are about to strike

According to the latest news from the British trade union Unite, more than 1,900 workers at Felixstowe, the largest container port in the UK, will start a strike on August 21 for 8 days, ending on August 29. Among them, the worker participation rate was 81%, and the votes in favor of the strike accounted for 92%.

It is reported that the reason for the strike is that the employer, Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company , failed to increase the pay by 7%, which is much lower than the actual inflation rate of 11.8%. Workers only received a 1.4% increase last year, which is lower than the inflation rate and is a disguised pay cut. Labor-management relations have become tense, so workers will go on strike to resolve the wage dispute.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Felixstowe Terminals and its parent company are both highly profitable, with its most recent accounts showing pre-tax profits of £61m in 2020, and are perfectly capable of paying their staff a fair wage, but the company has prioritised delivering a £99m dividend over paying its staff a decent wage.

It is reported that Felixstowe is the largest container port in the UK. 48% of the containers shipped into the UK are transported through this port. Nearly 2,000 ships dock at Felixstowe every year, and the port handles more than 4 million containers every year. Public data shows that there has been no strike at the port since 1989.

As Unite’s 1,900 Felixstowe members are responsible for all aspects of the port’s operations, strike action by workers will have a huge impact on UK supply chains and will also cause serious disruption to international maritime trade and UK supply chains, including the logistics and transport sectors.

It is not just the strike at Felixstowe Port. This summer, strikes have occurred frequently in the UK. On July 27, about 40,000 railway workers in the UK went on a 24-hour strike, which almost paralyzed the UK national railway network. On July 30, the railway workers held a second 24-hour strike, with nearly a quarter of the UK's railway drivers (about 5,000 people) participating, causing serious damage to the railway transportation network. Today, the UK's largest container port is also facing a strike warning, and the strike has escalated to 8 days, with a worker participation rate of up to 92%.

In addition to the UK, strikes have also occurred in the United States, Germany and other places recently. The problem of cargo accumulation has worsened, and congestion and delays have made the situation worse, adding a lot of trouble to cross-border e-commerce sellers.

At present, the strike of workers at Felixstowe Port is still under negotiation. If the final result is not satisfactory to both parties, the workers' strike will proceed as scheduled on August 21. Therefore , there will be a risk of delays in logistics for cross-border sellers in the UK .

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