Felixstowe, UK: The strike at Felixstowe container port is increasing the pressure on the food supply chain but does not compare to the delays at Dover which affected time-critical, temperature-controlled goods, according to Cold Chain Federation chief executive Shane Brennan.
Brennan’s comments – made on the TalkTV breakfast show – come as nearly 2,000 Unite workers stage an eight-day strike at Felixstowe in a row over pay. Felixstowe handles nearly half of the UK’s container traffic.
“It’s an incredibly stressful time for the supply chain generally and this is not going to help,” says Brennan. “However, we are not predicting significant problems in the short term as a result of this action.
“Container shipping is a longer-term game – delays and rescheduling can be more flexible. Another thing is that we do have more capacity in our container ports so there can be some diversions. There will be some shifting of goods into other ports around the country.”
Logistics UK’s public policy manager Alexandra Herdman echoes Brennan’s cry. She says that the container traffic would be predominantly goods with long shelf-life. Logistics UK was beginning to see container ships being diverted to other ports, she said.
However, some hauliers are worried by the strike action. Paul Day, managing director of Turners of Soham, told the BBC that the strike will be very costly for his haulage company
“About 30% of our business is at Felixstowe, so it’s going to have a huge impact,” says Paul Day, managing director of haulage company Turners of Soham. “We might be able to keep operating for two or three days but I can’t see we’ll be able to after that,” he says.
The union is asking for a pay rise in line with inflation. Workers had previously been offered a 7% increase, as well as a £500 lump sum payment. Unite national officer Robert Morton told Sky News: “The supply chain will be severely disrupted, I accept that. That’s one of the unfortunate parts of things like this.”
Photograph courtesy of the Port of Felixstowe
