Workers at the UK’s busiest container port went on strike for the second day in a row over pay on Sunday.
According to the union Unite, approximately 1,900 of its members are participating in an eight-day strike at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk.
Unite described the port operator’s 7% pay offer as “significantly below” the rate of inflation.
The port described the strike decision as “disappointing.”
On Monday, a picket line was formed for the second time, with the union stating that it would be staffed until 22:00 BST each day of the strike.
According to Unite, the Port of Felixstowe handles approximately 48% of container trade and employs approximately 2,550 people.
According to Port spokesman Paul Davey, the pay offer of “”A very fair offer indeed” was 7% plus £500.
He told Sky News on Monday that while “a lot of [its] employees, Unite members, don’t want to be on strike,” crossing a picket line was “a very intimidating atmosphere.”
“We’ve talked to quite a few of them,” he said.
“Many people at home are upset with Unite because they haven’t given them the opportunity to vote on a pay deal that we know many of them would accept. They’ve promised to do so.”
Unite national officer Robert Morton admitted that the union had not made the employer’s offer to its members but wanted a better pay offer that was “at least the rate of inflation.”
“So, as we progress through the negotiations, we may make an offer to them, but it will not be at 7%,” he said.
He proposed a “7% to 12.3%” figure as “acceptable.”
On the picket line on Monday, docker Andrew Damant said workers wanted a 10% raise.
“My rent went up by £90 six months ago,” he explained.
“We have pay-as-you-go gas and electric meters, and whereas gas was £20 a month last summer, it’s now £40 a month, and electricity is £100 a month, and this is only going to get worse.”
There is also concern about the strike’s impact on shipping companies.
“Longer term, if the situation isn’t resolved, it’s going to have a reputational impact both on ourselves as DFDS and the Port of Felixstowe as a safe operating zone, and customers will necessarily look elsewhere,” said Mark Woodward of DFDS Seaways.
Maersk, a container logistics company, has stated that eight days of no operations will have a “significant impact” and that it has “no choice but to omit three services.”
Gary Jeffreys, UK managing director, stated that the containers on those vessels will be “dropped off” in Europe and transferred back to Felixstowe or another UK port based on customer preferences in the “shortest time possible.”
“This is standard practice when we invoke a contingency situation for various reasons such as industrial action, labor availability, or even weather,” he explained.
While most customers have said they are “well-stocked,” Mr Jeffreys added that “fast-moving consumer goods will be needed quickly.”
“Not everyone, particularly small and medium-sized businesses, will have the luxury of large stocks; they will be hit harder.
“Ultimately, everyone suffers; we will always find ways to keep cargo moving, but we need the port and the unions to reach an agreement so that we can resume normal service.”
The port strike is expected to last until Monday, August 29.