Halloween decorations, DIY materials and heavy machinery deliveries bound for Ireland could face delays as a two-week dockers’ strike at the port of Liverpool gets underway.
At least 560 workers were due to walk out of the port last night in a dispute over pay, according to the Unite trade union, just hours after Queen Elizabeth’s funeral and the end of a 10-day national mourning period.
The strike will affect the Port of Liverpool’s container division until October 3, although other operations – cruises, trailer traffic and bulk cargo – will be unaffected, the port said in a statement.
Although Liverpool does not handle time-sensitive food or other perishable goods bound for Ireland, it is a hub for goods coming in via container ship from Asia and the United States including goods destined for Irish retailers.
“Any disruption in England has a knock-on impact for Ireland,” said Aidan Flynn, chief executive of the Freight Transport Association of Ireland. “It’s like a concertina effect. Things get squeezed.”
Independent.ie has more here on the strike on Merseyside.
