British ports are bracing for fresh supply chain chaos as a glut of goods cascading in from China risks coinciding with lengthy rail strikes.
A ‘deluge’ of imports is expected in around six weeks as factories around the industrial hub of Shanghai begin to reopen after long Covid lockdowns.
Containers full of goods could reach major ports like Southampton and London Gateway just as Britain goes through its biggest rail strike for decades.
dailymail.co.uk/news/articl … newcomment
Will be interesting to see if this puts upwards pressure on wages.
Ironically the reason why we’re importing 2nd rate junk, adding to the military budget of a hostile enemy ideology, using effectively slave labour, is because of corporate greed trying to minimise labour costs.
In addition to at best other useful idiots who think that the planet has the resources to increase the living standards and consumption levels of a population of 2 billion to match that of less than 1 billion.
Harry Monk:
British ports are bracing for fresh supply chain chaos as a glut of goods cascading in from China risks coinciding with lengthy rail strikes.
A ‘deluge’ of imports is expected in around six weeks as factories around the industrial hub of Shanghai begin to reopen after long Covid lockdowns.
Containers full of goods could reach major ports like Southampton and London Gateway just as Britain goes through its biggest rail strike for decades.
dailymail.co.uk/news/articl … newcomment
Will be interesting to see if this puts upwards pressure on wages.
More daily mail BS. Aslef the train driver union has not balloted train drivers for strike action. Only RMT which is mainly railway workers.
Ah c’mon guys, Harry posted this hours ago. Surely one of you will have dug up an anti Brexit link by now!
truckerjimbo:
More daily mail BS. Aslef the train driver union has not balloted train drivers for strike action. Only RMT which is mainly railway workers.
I’m a bit confused here. Don’t the RMT members perform roles which are necessary for the railways to function?
Harry Monk:
truckerjimbo:
More daily mail BS. Aslef the train driver union has not balloted train drivers for strike action. Only RMT which is mainly railway workers.
I’m a bit confused here. Don’t the RMT members perform roles which are necessary for the railways to function?
Like the signallers who are all RMT.
Trains don’t run without a green signal !
citycat:
Harry Monk:
truckerjimbo:
More daily mail BS. Aslef the train driver union has not balloted train drivers for strike action. Only RMT which is mainly railway workers.
I’m a bit confused here. Don’t the RMT members perform roles which are necessary for the railways to function?
Like the signallers who are all RMT.
Trains don’t run without a green signal !
Indeed but there jobs will be covered by managers. 
truckerjimbo:
citycat:
Harry Monk:
truckerjimbo:
More daily mail BS. Aslef the train driver union has not balloted train drivers for strike action. Only RMT which is mainly railway workers.
I’m a bit confused here. Don’t the RMT members perform roles which are necessary for the railways to function?
Like the signallers who are all RMT.
Trains don’t run without a green signal !
Indeed but there jobs will be covered by managers.
So that’s why companies employ a manager for each essential (to quote their lingo) worker, so if the workers go on strike the managers can step in.
and do some work
According to The Independent…
“Assuming all Network Rail signallers walk out, management and other staff should be able to cover about 20 per cent of the network for about 12 hours per day. It is likely that only main lines would be served, primarily those radiating from London”.
Harry Monk:
20 per cent of the network for about 12 hours per day. It is likely that only main lines would be served, primarily those radiating from London".
That would obviously only leave the choice of passenger or freight operations not both.
The fact that ASLEF and RMT aren’t coordinating the action weakens their position.
Ironically it looks like the government intends to smash the rail unions as part of the plan for rail.It obviously wants to shift truck drivers’ terms and conditions to the rail sector together with the traffic.
Carryfast:
That would obviously only leave the choice of passenger or freight operations not both.
The fact that ASLEF and RMT aren’t coordinating the action weakens their position.
Perhaps the logic is that the trains can’t operate if RMT are taking industrial action, but if ASLEF are not on strike then their members will still be paid even if they cannot drive trains?
Harry Monk:
Carryfast:
That would obviously only leave the choice of passenger or freight operations not both.
The fact that ASLEF and RMT aren’t coordinating the action weakens their position.
Perhaps the logic is that the trains can’t operate if RMT are taking industrial action, but if ASLEF are not on strike then their members will still be paid even if they cannot drive trains?
I was assuming that it would be ASLEF crewing whatever trains are stated as running ?.
Carryfast:
Harry Monk:
Carryfast:
That would obviously only leave the choice of passenger or freight operations not both.
The fact that ASLEF and RMT aren’t coordinating the action weakens their position.
Perhaps the logic is that the trains can’t operate if RMT are taking industrial action, but if ASLEF are not on strike then their members will still be paid even if they cannot drive trains?
I was assuming that it would be ASLEF crewing whatever trains are stated as running ?.
I guess so, and I suppose theoretically goods trains could run although not passenger trains if the guards belong to the RMT and are on strike. Although if the RMT organise picket lines it’s quite likely that ASLEF members won’t cross these?
Harry Monk:
Although if the RMT organise picket lines it’s quite likely that ASLEF members won’t cross these?
^ That’s what good old school union solidarity comes down to at the end of the day.It can make the difference between winning or losing a strike and the employers know it.
No doubt the employers will go running to the government to invoke the usual anti picketing tactics like court injunctions or riot police at that point.My guess is that they’ll try to play the secondary action card against ASLEF forcing it to cross any RMT picket if they see any really effective solidarity between the two unions.
Having said that all of them are against the road transport industry and its workforce.So it would be karma if the government stitches up the train drivers to minimise the labour cost implications of the plan for rail which seems to be what it’s all about.
The RMT blocked the port in Cairnryan in protest about what P+O had done to its menbers . What they really did was keep a few drivers who were on their last card of the week from getting home for their weekend break , stranding them in Cairnryan / Stranraer with no proper facilities or parking and keeping them from seeing partners and children for a weekend . When challenged about this on social media they deleted their posts and dissapeared not one of them would stand up and be counted and explian their pointless actions.
They were annoyed that P+O simply walked round them and ignored them but it would appear they hadn’t the numbers or the clout to do anything about it - 3 months on and nothing has happened - enough said . If I had been a member that had paid my dues for x number of years I’d be pretty annoyed at what they had done for me .
If any such imports - are bought, and paid for - then what’s the worry here?
It isn’t “inflationary” as the money has already been agreed.
The supply chain issue - isn’t as bad as it might have been in the past, as surely most freight isn’t via Rail these days?
The up-coming rail strikes - who cares?
Are we really going to see people chuck in well-paid jobs at the start of the likely deepest recession since the war?
All around me, I currently see people that I can only describe as “Panic Job Taking”.
Why would anyone opt for a fiver per hour cut in pay - for anything other than “Job Security” - which they won’t actually be getting imo, as should the new employer get into trouble over the next two years - they could lay off EVERYONE they’ve just taken on - for no payment whatsoever - Right??
“Job security” - is an illusion, I suggest…
If you’re not gonna achieve it - you might as well opt for the path that pays the best FOR such an insecure future. 
Winseer:
If any such imports - are bought, and paid for - then what’s the worry here?
It isn’t “inflationary” as the money has already been agreed.
The supply chain issue - isn’t as bad as it might have been in the past, as surely most freight isn’t via Rail these days?
I wasn’t worrying, just speculating as to whether a simultaneous large influx of containers into UK ports at the same time as a rail strike begins might increase demand for drivers in the road transport sector. Quite a few containers do travel by rail, my boat mooring is within sight of the West Coast Main Line near Rugby and one or two freight trains come past per hour in each direction, each carrying 70 containers. There are probably even more in the wee hours but even if there aren’t then that’s still over 1,500 per day.
Is there a current drive among Hauliers to get people trained up on “Container Runs”?
I mean, you only have to learn how to twist those handles back and forth…
What could possibly go wrong if you don’t do that simple job properly?? 
Harry Monk:
I wasn’t worrying, just speculating as to whether a simultaneous large influx of containers into UK ports at the same time as a rail strike begins might increase demand for drivers in the road transport sector. Quite a few containers do travel by rail, my boat mooring is within sight of the West Coast Main Line near Rugby and one or two freight trains come past per hour in each direction, each carrying 70 containers. There are probably even more in the wee hours but even if there aren’t then that’s still over 1,500 per day.
telegraph.co.uk/business/202 … ces-ahead/
Carryfast:
Harry Monk:
I wasn’t worrying, just speculating as to whether a simultaneous large influx of containers into UK ports at the same time as a rail strike begins might increase demand for drivers in the road transport sector. Quite a few containers do travel by rail, my boat mooring is within sight of the West Coast Main Line near Rugby and one or two freight trains come past per hour in each direction, each carrying 70 containers. There are probably even more in the wee hours but even if there aren’t then that’s still over 1,500 per day.
telegraph.co.uk/business/202 … ces-ahead/
Can’t read it, it’s behind a paywall.
