London busses are parked at Ealing Broadway as some bus routes are on strike in London, Friday, Aug. 19, 2022. A strike by London Underground workers brought the British capital’s transit network to a grinding halt on Friday, a day after a nationwide walkout by railway staff. Another rail strike is scheduled for Saturday as the U.K. endures a summer of action by workers demanding pay increases to offset soaring food and energy price hikes. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Workers including crane drivers and machine operators will walk off their jobs at Felixstowe port on England’s east coast, which handles around 4 million containers a year from 2,000 ships.
A traveller checks a train board at Ealing Broadway in London, Friday, Aug. 19, 2022. A strike by London Underground workers brought the British capital’s transit network to a grinding halt on Friday, a day after a nationwide walkout by railway staff. Another rail strike is scheduled for Saturday as the U.K. endures a summer of action by workers demanding pay increases to offset soaring food and energy price hikes. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Only around one in five U.K. trains were expected to run on Saturday, with some areas having no services all day. Soccer and cricket fans attending sports games, as well as tourists, were among those affected.
The platform bridge at Wandsworth Common Station is desserted in south London, Saturday Aug. 20, 2022. Rail services are set to be severely disrupted as members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) and the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union strike in a continuing row over pay, jobs and conditions. (Kirsty O’Connor/PA via AP)
On Friday, most of London’s underground subway lines did not run due to a separate strike.
The Unite union alleges that Felixstowe port’s parent company, CK Hutchison Holding Ltd., prioritized profits instead of paying workers a decent wage.
The platform bridge at Wandsworth Common Station is desserted in south London, Saturday Aug. 20, 2022. Rail services are set to be severely disrupted as members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) and the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union strike in a continuing row over pay, jobs and conditions. (Kirsty O’Connor/PA via AP)
Port authorities, for their part, said they were “disappointed” that Unite did not “come to the table for constructive discussions to find a resolution.”
Felixstowe handles almost half of the container freight entering the country. The strike could mean vessels have to be diverted to ports elsewhere in the U.K. or Europe.
London busses are parked at Ealing Broadway as some bus routes are on strike in London, Friday, Aug. 19, 2022. A strike by London Underground workers brought the British capital’s transit network to a grinding halt on Friday, a day after a nationwide walkout by railway staff. Another rail strike is scheduled for Saturday as the U.K. endures a summer of action by workers demanding pay increases to offset soaring food and energy price hikes. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Rail workers began a series of large-scale strikes that grounded national train travel in June, demanding better pay and working conditions as authorities try to reform the rail system, which has lost large chunks of its income due to the coronavirus pandemic and shifting commuting patterns.
Empty platforms at Wandsworth Common Station in south London, Saturday Aug. 12, 2022. Rail services are set to be severely disrupted as members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) and the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union strike in a continuing row over pay, jobs and conditions. (Kirsty O’Connor/PA via AP)
More public- and private-sector unions are planning strikes as Britain faces its worst cost-of-living crisis in decades. Postal workers, lawyers, British Telecom staff and garbage collectors have all announced walkouts for later this month.
