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

An eight-day strike began in Felixtowe, United Kingdom’s largest cargo port, on Sunday, August 21. This is the latest link in a chain of events that involved shutdowns in various sectors of the British economy over higher wages amid record inflation of 10%.

The port, which hasn’t seen a stoppage since 1989, has an annual throughput of 4 million containers. According to the labor union that called for the strike, the protest shall leave a strong mark in Felixtowe, where approximately 2 thousand carriers pass each year.

About 1,900 members of the Unite union, including crane and machine operators, as well as stevedores, left their workstations to demand higher wages.

The company, in turn, claims to have offered a “fair” 8% salary increase on average (10% for the lowest paid positions). The port authority said it “regrets the impact this action will have on UK supply chains and is working with its customers “to limit disruption.”

The port announced that it has a contingency plan and is working to minimize disruption during the walkouts, which will last until August 29.

According to analysts, the Felixstowe strike, as well as the stoppages recorded in public transportation, the London Underground, and the post office, encompass a social movement that could extend beyond the summer and into education and health grievances, activities for which unions label salary readjustment offers as “miserable.”

UK inflation

Inflation reached 10.1% in July compared to the same period last year and could exceed 13% in October, the highest level for a G7 country.

The Bank of England (BoE) is receiving criticism from the government, economists, and former leaders of the institution, who accuse it of negligence.

Inflationary pressure has provoked a chain of strike movements. The protests – the largest in 30 year -began in June, involving tens of thousands of workers.

Prices have soared in the UK mainly due to the rise in gas, a product on which the country is highly dependent and made more expensive by the war in Ukraine.

Source: G1

To read the full original article, please go to: https://g1.globo.com/economia/noticia/2022/08/21/trabalhadores-do-maior-porto-de-cargas-britanico-fazem-greve-de-8-dias-por-conta-da-inflacao-recorde-no-pais.ghtml

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