Dockworkers at the U.K.'s busiest container port say more industrial action could follow, as an eight-day strike ends with no agreement. BBC News reports that some 1,900 workers out of 2,550 at Felixstowe concluded their walk out over a 7% pay offer on Sunday evening.
The port's owner said its pay offer, which also included a £500 ($575) one-time bonus payment, was "very fair." But the union Unite warned it would set further strike dates if the company would not negotiate further. Unite described the pay offer as "significantly below" the rate of inflation, which was 10.1% in the 12 months to July.
Port spokesman Paul Davey said: "If Unite seek to escalate it further, it will do more damage to the local economy and it will lose our workers more money. The strike works very well for their national agenda, in that it sends a message to other businesses that Unite aren't to be messed with."
