It is reported that the UK's largest container port ushered in the first strike by dockers in 30 years. Unions and shipping companies have warned that trade and supply chains are expected to be severely affected, with some companies saying they will suffer heavy losses.
About 1900 Unite union members in Port Felicstow,, went on strike for eight days over the failure to reach an agreement in salary negotiations. The strike action began last Sunday (August 21) and is scheduled to last until August 29 (0: 00). In response, some shipping companies have notified the adjustment of ETA for some ships and the cancellation of some of their affiliation.
The Unite union said its members had rejected a 7 per cent pay rise offered by dockside employers because it was below UK inflation. Port spokesman Paul Davey said the average wage for workers in Felickstow was £ 43000, with a 7 per cent pay rise plus a one-time payment of £ 500, equivalent to a 8.1 per cent to 9.6 per cent pay rise, depending on the category of port workers.
The strike began last Sunday morning and formed a strike cordon, which the union said would be guarded until 10 pm on the day of the strike. Hubbard Miles, of Unite's local office, said on Sunday: "Very few people have come to work this morning. The strike cordon has been in place since 6 am and we have received a lot of support from the public."
The Port of Felixstow,, is the UK's busiest port, with around 2550 people working there and handling around 48 per cent of the UK's container trade. Workers involved in the strike include crane drivers, machine operators and ship stevedores.
According to a notice issued by the freight forwarding company Atlantic Pacific last week, the strike action will have an impact on the UK supply chain. 2M Alliance and Ocean Alliance have changed port rotation to a large extent, so that ships originally arriving during the strike will arrive before or after the strike. For example, Maersk and MSC currently have no vessels arriving between 19 and 28 August. It is expected that there will be little or no receiving and delivery at the port during the strike. Thus, disruption, rent and demurrage, and cost escalation are likely to be prominent features.
In addition, some businesses have expressed concern about this strike action. Adam Searle, managing director of transport company CP Transport, said his company could lose between £ 60000 and £ 70000 if it did not ship any containers this week. "The cost of the loss could run into the millions of dollars across Suffolk, and even more across the country."
On 18 August, Maersk issued a notice of strike at the Port of Felixstow. The company said that in order to minimize the impact of the strike on customers, a series of emergency measures have been put in place. The ETA of some ships has been advanced or delayed. As shown in the table below, three of the ships have canceled their calls to Felixstow port.
For the three de-hooked Felixstow ships, the contingency plan for bringing on board imported cargo back to the UK is as follows:
AE6 MSC Sveva 227W: All imported goods will be unloaded at Le Havre Port (ETA 20/08). After the strike ends, the goods will be transported by Evelyn Maersk 227W and are expected to arrive at Felixstow on August 29.
• L02 Vilnia Maersk 234N: All imports are unloaded at the London Gateway port (ETA 21/08).
• SLC Cosco Vietnam 229N: All imported goods are discharged at the port of Antwerp (ETA 22/08). After the end of the strike, the goods will be transported by Vaga Maersk 235N and are expected to arrive in Felixstow on August 30.
Remind that if there is any shipment to Felixstow Port in the near future, pay attention to the schedule adjustment.
source: search air network