Last week, an eight-day strike by 1,900 dock workers at Felixstowe, the UK's largest container port, extended container delays at the terminal by 82%, according to analytics firm Fourkites, and in just five days from August 21 to 26, The strike increased the waiting time for an export container from 5.2 days to 9.4 days.
However, in the face of such a bad situation, the port operator of Felixstowe has issued a paper, again angered the dock unions!
The eight-day strike at Felixstowe port was due to end at 11pm on Sunday, but dockers were told by the port operator not to come to work until Tuesday.
That meant dockers lost the chance to be paid for overtime on Bank holiday Mondays.
It is understood: The strike action by the Felixstowe dockers has been well supported by the general public, as dockers are seen to have fallen far behind the current situation and, to make matters worse, are now angered by the port operator's apparent suggestion that dockers will turn up for work.
Some industry figures suggest the impact of industrial action in the UK could be deep and long-lasting. The dockers also kept their word and withdrew their Labour in support of their wage demands.
One forwarder told Loadstar: "The management at the port is telling everyone that maybe the strike won't happen and the workers will come to work. But at midnight on Sunday, bang, there was a picket line."
"No dockers came to work because the strike was always supported. It's not because they want to take a few days off, or because they can afford it; It's that they need it [the strike] to protect their rights."
Since Sunday's strike at Felixstowe, shipping companies have responded in different ways: some have sped up or slowed down sailing to avoid arriving at the port during the strike; Some shipping lines have simply omitted the country (including COSCO and Maersk) and unloaded their UK-bound cargoes elsewhere.
In the meantime, shippers and forwarders scrambled to reroute and avoid the disruption caused by the strike and the port's response and planning.
"We've heard that this is likely to go on until December," said a source, referring to the fact that Sharon Graham, the general secretary of the union, had publicly accused port owners of forgetting workers and being bent on "wealth generation for shareholders and pay cuts for workers", and threatened strike action at the port that could last until Christmas!
The union's demand is understood to be simple and appears to be gaining support: pay rises in line with inflation.
The operator of the port of Felixstowe said it had offered a 7% bonus and a one-off £500 bonus, which was "very fair".
But others in the industry disagreed, calling it "nonsense" that 7% could be justified, as they pointed out that soaring inflation, 12.3% on 17 August RPI figures, a level not seen since January 1982 - the escalating cost of living crisis, The energy bill for a standard three-bed home this winter is expected to exceed £4,000.
When the strike is over, the impact of the dispute on the UK economy and its future supply chains is likely to become more apparent - especially with similar action in Liverpool next month and if the threat of further strikes takes place!
A source said: "The port operator's decision not to allow workers to work overtime on Monday is not conducive to solving the problem and could spur further strike action, which could lead to shippers choosing to fly to Europe if strikes continue into Christmas."
Post time: Sep-01-2022