Fresh strike dates announced in Felixstowe dispute as workers reject imposed pay deal

Fresh strikes have been announced in the Felixstowe port dispute after workers overwhelmingly rejected management’s attempt to impose a pay deal, according to Unite's release.
 
Last week the management at the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company unilaterally ended pay talks after refusing to improve its pay offer and instead announced that it was imposing a pay deal of seven per cent on the workforce. The imposed pay deal is in reality a sizeable pay cut with the current real inflation rate (RPI) standing at 12.3 per cent.
 
The Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company is ultimately owned by the multi-national port operator CK Hutchison, which is registered in the Cayman Islands.
 
In response Unite, the UK’s leading union, which represents 1,900 blue collar workers at the port, surveyed its members. They voted to reject the imposed pay offer by 82 per cent on a 78 per cent turnout.
 
As a result fresh strike action for eight days has been called from 07:00 Tuesday 27 September and ending on 06:59 on Wednesday 5 October. The previous eight days of strike action last month brought the port, which is responsible for 48 per cent of the UK’s container goods, to a standstill.
 
Unite is the UK and Ireland’s leading union fighting to protect and advance jobs, pay and conditions for members working across all sectors of the economy. The general secretary is Sharon Graham.