Nearly 2,000 dock workers begin 8-day strike in UK's largest container port
Aug 21, 2022
Moscow [Russia], August 21 (ANI/Sputnik): Nearly 2,000 dock workers started an eight-day strike in the United Kingdom's largest container port -- Felixstowe -- on Sunday demanding higher wages amid record inflation in the country, media reported.
Around 1,900 members of the British trade union Unite, including crane operators, mechanics and loaders, are participating in the first protest, according to the Sky News broadcaster. The strike is expected to result in severe disruptions in the logistics of sea and road transport, the union was quoted as saying .
Meanwhile, a port source told the PA news agency that the protest would be an "inconvenience not a catastrophe," given that supply chains have gotten used to disruptions since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Disruption is the new normal. The supply chain has moved from 'just in time to just in case'," the source was quoted as saying.
The UK has been facing a wave of strikes in recent months due to record inflation. Railway and airport employees, lawyers, postmen and workers in other areas have been protesting against job cuts, low pay while also demanding the improvement of working conditions.
On August 4, the Bank of England raised its interest rate by 50 basis points to 1.75% from 1.25% per annum -- the largest single increase since 1995. Now the rate is at its highest level since December 2008, when it was 2%. According to the bank's forecasts, the British economy will fall into recession in the fourth quarter of 2022.
On Wednesday, the UK Office for National Statistics said that annual inflation in the country had risen to a new 40-year high of 10,1% in July from 9.4% in June. (ANI/Sputnik)
