Strike at biggest UK’s shipping port

Vehicles idle at the Port of Felixstowe, Sunday. Pic/AP

The first day of a planned strike at Britain's biggest container port started Sunday, joining a series of walkouts by transportation workers that have disrupted economic activity across the country.

Almost 2,000 workers at the Port of Felixstowe, walked off the jobs over pay, raising fears of severe supply chain problems. The port handles around 4 million containers a year from 2,000 ships - almost half of the country's incoming shipping freight. Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, the labour union that called for the strike, alleged the company that operates the ‘enormously profitable' dock and its parent company, C.K Hutchison Holding Ltd, prioritised shareholder profits over worker welfare.

"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," she said.

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