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Dockworkers strike for eight days at the Port of Felixstowe

Dockworkers strike for eight days at the Port of Felixstowe. The disruption ran from 2022-08-21 (21 August 2022) to 2022-08-29 (29 August 2022), 9 days, affecting Felixstowe. Felixstowe averaged 0.2 calls per day during the event window against an expected 2.3 (-2.1).

World Freight Monitor permanent record. https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2022/dockworkers-strike-felixstowe-2022-08/. Record last updated 2026-09-16.

Key facts

Started
2022-08-21 (21 August 2022)
Ended
2022-08-29 (29 August 2022)
Status
ended
Severity
3 Significant
Scope
port
Chokepoints
None
Lanes
None
Confidence
high: The strike dates, the number of workers and the pay positions come from Unite, the union that called the action, and from a Maersk customer advisory, with consistent trade press reporting at the start and at the settlement.
First reported
2022-08-05 (5 August 2022)
  • Severity basis: Port level stoppage of eight days at Felixstowe, meeting the level 3 criterion of a port stoppage of seven days or more.

What happened

From 2022-08-21 (21 August 2022) more than 1,900 dockworkers at the Port of Felixstowe struck for eight days in a pay dispute, halting container handling at the United Kingdom's largest container port. Unite announced the action on 2022-08-05 after conciliation talks at Acas ended without an improved offer from the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company, which the union said had offered seven per cent against retail price inflation of 11.8 per cent. The strike ran from 07:00 on 2022-08-21 to 06:59 on 2022-08-29 and ended without a settlement. Maersk told customers it would keep receiving dry exports for affected vessels and did not plan diversions to other ports. A second eight day strike followed from 2022-09-27, and the dispute was settled in December 2022.

Measured effect

Container ship port calls, Felixstowe

Baseline (expected)
2.3 calls per day
Observed
0.2 calls per day
Change
-2.1 (percent omitted, baseline too small)
Standardised score
-1.4
Event window
2022-08-21 to 2022-08-29 (9 days)
Baseline window
2022-06-19 to 2022-08-13 (56 valid days)
Method
wfm-effect-1.0
Computed
2026-09-16 (16 September 2026), data revision 1:5ffce164b3a0
Container ship port calls, FelixstoweContainer ship port calls, Felixstowe, 2022-06-12 (12 June 2022) to 2022-10-10 (10 October 2022): values ranged from 0 calls per day on 2022-06-16 to 5 calls per day on 2022-08-01, with a mean of 1.9 calls per day. The latest value, for 2022-10-10, was 2 calls per day. The shaded band marks the event window, 2022-08-21 to 2022-08-29.0123452022-06-122022-08-112022-10-10
Container ship port calls, Felixstowe, 2022-06-12 (12 June 2022) to 2022-10-10 (10 October 2022): values ranged from 0 calls per day on 2022-06-16 to 5 calls per day on 2022-08-01, with a mean of 1.9 calls per day. The latest value, for 2022-10-10, was 2 calls per day. The shaded band marks the event window, 2022-08-21 to 2022-08-29.

Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms. Retrieved 2026-11-10 (10 November 2026).

Container ship port calls, Felixstowe (calls per day).
Datecalls per day
2022-06-123
2022-06-131
2022-06-142
2022-06-153
2022-06-160
2022-06-172
2022-06-182
2022-06-193
2022-06-201
2022-06-212
2022-06-222
2022-06-231
2022-06-242
2022-06-253
2022-06-262
2022-06-273
2022-06-282
2022-06-292
2022-06-302
2022-07-012
2022-07-021
2022-07-033
2022-07-043
2022-07-051
2022-07-063
2022-07-071
2022-07-081
2022-07-093
2022-07-101
2022-07-114
2022-07-124
2022-07-133
2022-07-143
2022-07-152
2022-07-164
2022-07-172
2022-07-181
2022-07-193
2022-07-202
2022-07-212
2022-07-224
2022-07-232
2022-07-243
2022-07-254
2022-07-263
2022-07-272
2022-07-282
2022-07-292
2022-07-302
2022-07-310
2022-08-015
2022-08-022
2022-08-030
2022-08-042
2022-08-051
2022-08-061
2022-08-073
2022-08-081
2022-08-091
2022-08-104
2022-08-111
2022-08-122
2022-08-130
2022-08-144
2022-08-152
2022-08-161
2022-08-172
2022-08-184
2022-08-192
2022-08-201
2022-08-210
2022-08-220
2022-08-230
2022-08-240
2022-08-250
2022-08-260
2022-08-270
2022-08-280
2022-08-292
2022-08-303
2022-08-311
2022-09-011
2022-09-023
2022-09-033
2022-09-040
2022-09-051
2022-09-064
2022-09-072
2022-09-081
2022-09-093
2022-09-102
2022-09-112
2022-09-124
2022-09-132
2022-09-141
2022-09-151
2022-09-163
2022-09-172
2022-09-184
2022-09-192
2022-09-201
2022-09-214
2022-09-222
2022-09-232
2022-09-244
2022-09-251
2022-09-261
2022-09-270
2022-09-280
2022-09-290
2022-09-300
2022-10-011
2022-10-020
2022-10-030
2022-10-041
2022-10-052
2022-10-062
2022-10-072
2022-10-083
2022-10-094
2022-10-102

This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.

Replay

Replay: Container ship port calls, FelixstoweContainer ship port calls, Felixstowe, 2022-06-22 (22 June 2022) to 2022-09-20 (20 September 2022): values ranged from 0 calls per day on 2022-07-31 to 5 calls per day on 2022-08-01. The shaded band marks the event window, 2022-08-21 to 2022-08-29.0123452022-06-222022-09-20
Container ship port calls, Felixstowe, 2022-06-22 (22 June 2022) to 2022-09-20 (20 September 2022): values ranged from 0 calls per day on 2022-07-31 to 5 calls per day on 2022-08-01. The shaded band marks the event window, 2022-08-21 to 2022-08-29.

Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms. Retrieved 2026-11-10 (10 November 2026).

Container ship port calls, Felixstowe (calls per day), daily values shown in the replay.
Datecalls per day
2022-06-222
2022-06-231
2022-06-242
2022-06-253
2022-06-262
2022-06-273
2022-06-282
2022-06-292
2022-06-302
2022-07-012
2022-07-021
2022-07-033
2022-07-043
2022-07-051
2022-07-063
2022-07-071
2022-07-081
2022-07-093
2022-07-101
2022-07-114
2022-07-124
2022-07-133
2022-07-143
2022-07-152
2022-07-164
2022-07-172
2022-07-181
2022-07-193
2022-07-202
2022-07-212
2022-07-224
2022-07-232
2022-07-243
2022-07-254
2022-07-263
2022-07-272
2022-07-282
2022-07-292
2022-07-302
2022-07-310
2022-08-015
2022-08-022
2022-08-030
2022-08-042
2022-08-051
2022-08-061
2022-08-073
2022-08-081
2022-08-091
2022-08-104
2022-08-111
2022-08-122
2022-08-130
2022-08-144
2022-08-152
2022-08-161
2022-08-172
2022-08-184
2022-08-192
2022-08-201
2022-08-210
2022-08-220
2022-08-230
2022-08-240
2022-08-250
2022-08-260
2022-08-270
2022-08-280
2022-08-292
2022-08-303
2022-08-311
2022-09-011
2022-09-023
2022-09-033
2022-09-040
2022-09-051
2022-09-064
2022-09-072
2022-09-081
2022-09-093
2022-09-102
2022-09-112
2022-09-124
2022-09-132
2022-09-141
2022-09-151
2022-09-163
2022-09-172
2022-09-184
2022-09-192
2022-09-201

This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.

Timeline

  1. Unite announces eight days of strike action at Felixstowe from 21 August after talks at the conciliation service Acas fail to produce an improved pay offer from the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company. [s1] [s3]
  2. Maersk issues a customer advisory on the announced strike, saying it will continue to accept dry exports for affected Felixstowe vessels and does not plan diversions to other United Kingdom or north European ports. [s2]
  3. Over 1,900 Unite members, including crane drivers, machine operators and stevedores, stop work at 07:00. It is the first strike at the port since 1989. [s1] [s3]
  4. The strike ends at 06:59 with no agreement. The company had offered seven per cent plus a lump sum of 500 pounds for 2022. [s4] [s5]

Cause

Unite called the strike over pay, saying the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company would not improve on a seven per cent offer at a time when the retail prices index stood at 11.8 per cent, and that members had received 1.4 per cent the previous year. Attributed by: Unite the Union. [s1]

Resolution

2022-08-29 (29 August 2022): The strike ran its announced course and ended on 2022-08-29 without agreement. A second eight day strike followed from 2022-09-27, and on 2022-12-13 Unite said members had accepted a two year deal worth 15.5 per cent. [s4] [s5]

Corrections

No corrections to this record as of 2026-09-16 (16 September 2026).

Sources

  1. [s1] Unite the Union, Strikes announced at port of Felixstowe as company fails to make acceptable pay offer, published 2022-08-05 (5 August 2022), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (official)
  2. [s2] Maersk, Announced strike action at Ports of Felixstowe and Liverpool, published 2022-08-08 (8 August 2022), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (official)
  3. [s3] The Maritime Executive, Week-Long Strike Scheduled to Disrupt Container Movement at Felixstowe, published 2022-08-05 (5 August 2022), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (press)
  4. [s4] The Maritime Executive, Felixstowe and Union Agree to Two-Year Wage Deal for Dockworkers, published 2022-12-13 (13 December 2022), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (press)
  5. [s5] Unite the Union, Felixstowe port workers win 15.5 per cent pay increase, published 2022-12-13 (13 December 2022), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (official)

Cite this record

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Plain text

World Freight Monitor. "Dockworkers strike for eight days at the Port of Felixstowe." Last updated 2026-09-16 (16 September 2026). https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2022/dockworkers-strike-felixstowe-2022-08/

APA

World Freight Monitor. (2026). Dockworkers strike for eight days at the Port of Felixstowe. World Freight Monitor. https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2022/dockworkers-strike-felixstowe-2022-08/

BibTeX

@misc{wfm_dockworkers_strike_felixstowe_2022_08,
  author = {{World Freight Monitor}},
  title = {Dockworkers strike for eight days at the Port of Felixstowe},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Last updated 2026-09-16},
  url = {https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2022/dockworkers-strike-felixstowe-2022-08/}
}