The manager of Felixstowe, the UK’s largest container port, has accused the Unite union of acting against workers’ interests. The union is behind the major strike in the British port.
However, according to the port authority, many of the dockers are unhappy that they cannot vote on the company’s latest wage offer.
Port manager Hutchison Port stated that the union is “promoting a national agenda at the expense of many of our employees.” Unfortunately, the quarrel between the company and the union seems to escalate further.
According to a spokesperson for Hutchison Port, the company has proposed a wage increase of between 8.1 and 9.6 percent for this year. Union Unite, however, demanded an increase of at least 10 percent and rejected the offer. An invitation to continue negotiations was also declined.
To reinforce the call for better working conditions, approximately 2000 dockers have stopped working for eight days since last Sunday. The union also threatens to extend the strike.
“Many of our employees feel let down by Unite and have told us that they would like to come to work but are too uncomfortable to do so,” the spokesperson said.
The strike in Felixstowe – one of many that have broken out in the UK this year – is disrupting the flow of goods to and from the country as goods cannot be loaded or loaded. The port accounts for a third of the total container volume in the country. In addition, dock workers in the port of Liverpool will soon go on strike because they want higher wages.
The cost of living for the British has risen sharply this year. Energy bills, in particular, have risen sharply, and food prices have also risen sharply. As a result, inflation in the United Kingdom is already above 10 percent, and economists expect a further rise to more than 18 percent in 2023.
