Workers at UK’s biggest container port Felixstowe begin 8-day strike

More than 1,900 workers at Britain’s biggest container port have commenced eight days of strike action which their union and shipping companies warn could seriously affect trade and supply chains.

The strike at Felixstowe port on the east coast rounds off a week that saw various strikes by thousands of transport workers in disputes over pay, as the cost of living crisis bites.

Several workers including crane drivers, machine operators and stevedores, will take part in the first strike to disrupt the UK port since 1989, following a more than nine-one vote in favour.

The workers’ union has warned the strike action will have a significant impact on UK supply chains, the logistics and haulage sectors.

A source at the port however downplayed the warning, saying that the strike will only be an “inconvenience not a catastrophe”.

The port authorities said they would have a contingency plan in place, and was working to minimise disruption during the walkouts which will last for eight days.

Britain’s consumer price inflation hit 10.1% in July, the highest since February 1982, and some economists forecast it will hit 15% in the first three months of next year amid surging energy and food costs.

The squeeze on household incomes has already led to strikes by the likes of rail and bus workers demanding higher pay rises.