|
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volume 52 Number 22, October 2, 2022 | ARCHIVE | HOME | JBCENTRE | SUBSCRIBE |
Members of the Unite union on a picket line at the Port
of Felixstowe
After eight days of continuous strike action in August, 1,900 Felixstowe workers, members of Unite, began a new round of strikes at Britain's biggest container port on Tuesday, September 27. The disruption is having a huge effect on the supply chain as some 48% of the country's container trade normally passes through the Suffolk port.
The strike action is being held despite enormous pressure to block the dispute. Dockers refused to be intimidated from propaganda directed at them by media and employers. The pressure has been intense, both citing the state of the economy and calling on workers to cease action out of respect for the death of one monarch and ascension of another.
Despite this, workers held firm, with their union serving notice to the Port of Felixstowe that they would walk out from September 27 to October 5. Simultaneously, there is a two-week strike by workers at the port of Liverpool, from September 19 until October 3. In a statement, the Port of Felixstowe, which is owned by the multinational port operator CK Hutchison, registered in the Cayman Islands, said: "We are very disappointed that Unite has announced this further strike action at this time".
In complete disregard for the claim by workers, the company declared no prospect of reaching agreement. So much for "respect". The disrespect by the establishment and employers is unrelenting at present. Fire and rehire, the tearing of contracts and imposition of conditions, and the cost-of-living crisis reveal the kind of respect given to workers and their families across all sectors at this time. In this case, the Port company have imposed a pay package, which, in conditions of inflation surpassing 10%, provides mere 7% rise plus a "bonus" of £500. Workers have had no choice but to reject this imposition.
Felixstowe picket line at one of the entrances - Photo:
Richard Allday
All around we see workers fighting for their rights and the rights of all in the current crisis. The workers have declared that Enough is Enough! Unions and workers have even declared a national campaign using this call, which has underlined the momentum of the workers' movement to refuse to shoulder the burden of the cost-of-living crisis. The workers on the docks have declared their intention to keep up the momentum. Many workers wish to up the struggle to a new level.
"The latest strike action is entirely of Felixstowe's own making," said Unite national officer Bobby Morton. "Rather than seeking to negotiate a deal to resolve the dispute, the company instead tried to impose a pay deal."
Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: "Felixstowe and CK Hutchison are both eye-wateringly wealthy but rather than offer a fair pay offer, they have instead attempted to impose a real-terms pay cut on their workers. Since the beginning of this dispute Unite has given its total support to its members at Felixstowe and that will continue until this dispute is resolved."
It is important to stay united and stand firm and not bow to the forces of the elite, including the monarchy, who are actively behind the intensifying anti-social offensive. The working class is striving to turn things around so that the arrangements in society favour them, constituting itself as the authority in the process. Workers demand a new direction for the economy, renewal of the political system and guaranteeing of the rights of all. This is why the workers have created their own initiative and call - Enough is Enough! - an independent stand and outlook that is not the property of anyone but themselves, as they prepare the conditions for control over their own lives, as the decision-makers in society.