Strike begins today at the largest cargo port BritanniaThe protests are expected to last eight days.

The country is in the midst of strike fever, with workers in many sectors demanding higher wages to fight record inflation.

After three days of fighting in transport, mainly trains, today it was the turn of the Felixstowe harbor workers to strike.

This is the first strike at this port in the east of England, which has handled around 4 million containers a year since 1989.

About 1,900 members of the Unite union, which includes crane operators, machine operators and dock workers, are leaving their jobs demanding higher wages as the cost of living in the UK has risen sharply.

Inflation reached 10.1% year-on-year in July and could top 13% in October, the highest recorded in a G7 country.

“Port Felixstowe is very profitable. According to the latest data, in 2020 the company’s profit was 61 million pounds (nearly 72 million euros),” said Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite.

“The Hutchinson Ports management company is so wealthy that it gave away £99m to its shareholders in the same year. So it could give the workers at Felixstowe a proper pay rise,” he added.

For its part, the company said it was “disappointed that Unite did not accept our offer to suspend the strike and sit down at the negotiating table to engage in constructive negotiations to find a solution.”

Hutchinson Ports said it had offered an average wage increase of 8% and nearly 10% for the lowest paid, which it called “fair”.

The company “regrets the impact the protests have had on supply chains in the UK” and added that it is working with its customers to “limit disruptions”.

However, a source at the port indicated that the strikes would be something “disruptive but not catastrophic” as the supply chain has become accustomed to problems in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: APE-MPE, AFP, Reuters.