Workers at the UK's biggest port in Felixstowe have gone on an eight-day strike in a dispute with bosses over pay.
The port strikes, which began on August 21, have seen nearly 2,000 workers take action.
The strikes are the latest series of industrial action in the UK following the rail and bus strikes which took place last week, with Royal Mail set to go on strike later this week as the cost of living crisis continues.
But why have Felixstowe workers decided to go on strike and will supermarkets be affected?
Here's everything you need to know.
Why have Felixstowe Port workers gone on strike?
Some 1,900 members of Unite trade union at Felixstowe Port in Suffolk have gone on strike in a row over pay.
The port workers taking industrial action include crane drivers, machine operators and stevedores, as union members voted by more than 9-1 in favour of the first strike action at Felixstowe since 1989.
Prior to the strike, workers were offered an 8% pay rise but this was rejected by Unite.
The general secretary of Unite, Sharon Graham, said: “Felixstowe docks is enormously profitable. The latest figures show that in 2020 it made £61million in profits.
“Its parent company, CK Hutchison Holding Ltd, is so wealthy that, in the same year, it handed out £99million to its shareholders.
“So they can give Felixstowe workers a decent pay raise. It’s clear both companies have prioritised delivering multimillion-pound profits and dividends rather than paying their 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.”
In a statement, Felixstowe Port said: “The company is disappointed that Unite has not taken up our offer to call off the strike and come to the table for constructive discussions to find a resolution.
“We recognise these are difficult times but, in a slowing economy, we believe that the company’s offer, worth over 8% on average in the current year and closer to 10% for lower paid workers, is fair.
“Unite has failed our employees by not consulting them on the offer and, as a result, they have been put in a position where they will lose pay by going on strike."
Felixstowe Port is the UK's busiest as it deals with 48% of containerised trade and handles around four million containers each year.
Goods handled at the port include furniture, white goods, toiletries and food.
How will supermarkets be affected by the Felixstowe Port strikes?
The Felixstowe Port strikes are expected to cause major disruption for the UK supply chain as it is the main port for imported goods, with supermarkets likely to face shortages.
Experts told The Times that disruptions to supermarkets, such as Tesco, Asda and Marks & Spencer, could even go on until Christmas.
However, a port source told the Metro that the strikes will be a mere inconvenience as disruption is a part of life now following the pandemic.
The source said the strikes will be an “inconvenience not a catastrophe”, claiming that the supply chain was now used to disruption following the pandemic.
They added: “Disruption is the new normal. The supply chain has moved from ‘just in time to just in case’”.
Unite national officer for docks Bobby Morton dismissed the claim, insisting: “Strike action will cause huge disruption and will generate massive shockwaves throughout the UK’s supply chain, but this dispute is entirely of the company’s own making."
Read more:
Tory Grant Shapps warns he'll FORCE through rail changes against striking workers' will
Unions could call for 'synchronised strikes' as Brits 'can't pay bills', Mick Lynch says
Are you getting paid enough for the work you do? Have your say
Nurse who does six 13-hour shifts in a row says 'we are undervalued' as strike looms
