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A major European port is on strike again! The supply chain will be seriously disrupted.

BY: Zoe Cheung 
Several groups, including Korean truck drivers, German port workers, British rail workers, Belgian union labor, Canadian rail workers, Spanish truck drivers, U.S. airline pilots, and European airline employees, have recently protested or struck.
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Massive protests and strikes have affected global air, land, and sea transportation. Ship schedules and delivery times will be further delayed by overflowing yard terminals on one hand and striking dock, rail, and road transport workers on the other.
On July 28, Reuters (London) reported that employees at Britain’s largest container port, Felixstowe, voted for strike action over a pay dispute and warned that the entire supply chain would be seriously disrupted.
This wave of strikes has spread across a wide range of sectors as pay rises fail to keep pace with inflation, including rail and telecommunications. The U.K.’s inflation rate will reach double digits by the end of the year.
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The UFW said in a statement that strike action would halt maritime and road transport into Felixstowe and cause major logistical problems.
The UAW’s Miles Hubbard said the strike would “inevitably disrupt the supply chain in the U.K.” Hutchison Ports has given a 5 percent pay increase to Felixstowe terminal workers, according to the union.
A port spokesman states, “The company has made what we believe is a very fair offer.” We hope any strike action can be avoided. ” The union has agreed to meet with ACAS, a mediation service, next week.
Although the union didn’t provide a specific date for the strike, it confirmed that it would occur next month and that 92 percent of voters supported it.
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Following the largest strike in nearly 30 years in June, over 50,000 workers on the British rail system have even scheduled their strike plans for August, which will continue on August 18 and 20. It would cause major disruptions to the entire British rail network, according to Maersk.
Earlier this month, the UAW announced it was balloting hundreds of dockers in Liverpool for strike action.
Over 500 dockers in Liverpool will vote on a strike over wages and working conditions. Due to the action, Peel, Britain’s largest container port, could be halted by the end of August.
According to Steven Gerrard, the United Farm Workers Union’s regional officer, strike action will cause shortages in shipping and road transport, but the dispute is entirely Peel’s fault. The union has negotiated extensively with Peel but has refused to address the concerns of its members.
Peel Ports handles more than 70 million tons of cargo annually, making it the second-largest port company in Britain. A strike action ballot will begin on July 25 and end on August 15.
Major European ports cannot afford to toss and turn, and these strikes have largely paralyzed cargo handling at Hamburg, Bremerhaven, and Wilhelmshaven. The port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands did not strike, but it was relatively busy due to the shifting cargo volume from Hamburg, Antwerp, and other nearby ports, and ships had to wait longer to enter the port because of this.
Post time: Aug-04-2022