Workers at the port of Felixstowe are to strike for eight days from August 21 in a dispute over pay, Unite announced.
Over 1,900 members of Unite will walk out after the union claimed that talks with conciliation service Acas “failed to produce” a reasonable pay offer.
The strike was called after Unite said the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company failed to improve on its offer of a 7 per cent pay increase, describing it as "significantly below" inflation.
Felixstowe is the UK’s largest container port. Nearly half (48 per cent) of all containers brought into the UK pass through the port.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Both Felixstowe docks and its parent company CK Hutchison Holding Ltd are both massively profitable and incredibly wealthy. They are fully able to pay the workforce a fair day’s pay.
“The company has prioritised delivering multi-million pound dividends rather than paying its workers a decent wage.
“Unite is entirely focused on enhancing its members’ jobs, pay and conditions and it will be giving the workers at Felixstowe its complete support until this dispute is resolved and a decent pay increase is secured.”
Unite national office for docks Bobby Morton said the strikes would huge disruption” and generate “shockwaves throughout the UK’s supply chain”.
“Felixstowe needs to stop prevaricating and make a pay offer which meets our members’ expectations,” he added.
Further talks will take place at Acas next Monday, the union said.
The Standard has contacted the Port of Felixstowe for comment.
