Fresh strikes have been announced in the Felixstowe port dispute after workers overwhelmingly rejected management’s attempt to impose a pay deal.

 

Rejected deal

 

Last week the management at the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company unilaterally ended pay talks after refusing to improve its pay offer and instead announced that it was imposing a pay deal of seven per cent on the workforce. The imposed pay deal is in reality a sizeable pay cut with the current real inflation rate (RPI) standing at 12.3 per cent.

 

The Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company is ultimately owned by the multi-national port operator CK Hutchison, which is registered in the Cayman Islands.

 

Strikes resuming

 

In response Unite, the UK’s leading union, which represents 1,900 blue collar workers at the port, surveyed its members.  They voted to reject the imposed pay offer by 82 per cent on a 78 per cent turnout.

 

As a result fresh strike action for eight days has been called from 07:00 Tuesday 27 September and ending on 06:59 on Wednesday 5 October. The previous eight days of strike action last month brought the port, which is responsible for 48 per cent of the UK’s container goods, to a standstill.

 

Huge profits

 

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Felixstowe and CK Hutchison are both eye-wateringly wealthy but rather than offer a fair pay offer, they have instead attempted to impose a real terms pay cut on their workers.

 

“Since the beginning of this dispute Unite has given its total support to its members at Felixstowe and that will continue until this dispute is resolved.”

 

Record earnings

 

The company is fully able to pay its workers a fair pay increase as its accounts for 2021 reveal that it made record profits of £79 million. The latest accounts of CK Hutchison, reveal that it had a turnover of £30 billion.

 

Disruption inevitable 

 

Unite national officer for docks Bobby Morton said: “The latest strike action is entirely of Felixstowe’s own making.  Rather than seeking to negotiate a deal to resolve the dispute, the company instead tried to impose a pay deal.

 

“Further strike action will inevitably lead to delays and disruption to the UK’s supply chain but this is entirely of the company’s own making.”

 

ENDS

 

Notes to editors

 

Strikes announced at port of Felixstowe as company fails to make acceptable pay offer

 

The renewed strike action will take place after the period of official mourning following the death of the Queen has concluded.

 

For media enquiries ONLY please contact Unite senior communications officer Barckley Sumner on 07802 329235 or 0203 371 2067.

 

Email: [email protected]

 

Twitter: @unitetheunion Facebook: unitetheunion1 Instagram: unitetheunion Web: unitetheunion.org

 

Unite is the UK and Ireland’s leading union fighting to protect and advance jobs, pay and conditions for members working across all sectors of the economy. The general secretary is Sharon Graham.