Dock workers at Felixstowe have rejected a pay deal imposed by management. This seems to clear the way for a new round of industrial actions and disruptions. Some 82% of votes cast in a ballot of Unite union members opposed a 7% raise and £500 bonus to be implemented by the UK arm of CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd. Felixstowe is the main UK entry point for containerized goods produced in East Asia. It was hit by eight days of walkouts -involving almost 2,000 staff- last month.
Unite, which is pressing for a raise of at least 10% amid soaring inflation, said it expects to announce new strike dates today. Felixstowe has said that its wage increase, detailed to staff in a letter, is worth 8.1 to 9.6% this year.
UK unions must give 14-days notice of action so that the next strikes at Felixstowe could start on September 27. That would mean they’d overlap with the second half of a two-week walkout by more than 500 Unite members at the Port of Liverpool, who are seeking an improved deal from Peel Ports Ltd.
Source: bnnbloomberg.ca