Nearly 1,900 workers plan to stop work for more than a week at the Hong Kong-owned port, starting on Sunday, August 21 and ending on Monday, August 29, according to the Unite union. Workers voted 92% in favor of strike action last week. The union said the latest round of talks with the company at conciliation agency Acas failed to produce a “reasonable offer”, but further talks are planned for Monday. Protracted strikes are almost certain to disrupt traffic through the port, adding to the problems facing the UK economy as it prepares for a year-long deep recession. Felixstowe, on the Suffolk coast, annually handles the equivalent of 4m 20-ft containers from around 2,000 ships – including some of the largest container ships ever built. It is the eighth largest container port in Europe, according to the EU statistics agency, Eurostat. The port employs a total of 2,500 people. Unite said losing the majority of its workforce, including crane drivers, machine operators and longshoremen (responsible for unloading ships) would have a “huge impact” on UK supply chains. However, a source at the port said a strike does not mean a complete shutdown. The pay dispute is the latest in a series of problems affecting the UK’s transport infrastructure. Travelers via Dover also suffered huge queues last month when the port failed to cope with large numbers of post-term holidaymakers for many schools in England and Wales. Workers and drivers on Great Britain’s railways have also gone on a number of strikes, with further action planned for two days over the next fortnight. Unite said it had rejected an offer from the employer, Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company, for a 7% pay rise. The union said it was lower than the 11.8% retail price index (RPI) inflation rate it preferred, and that workers received a below-inflation pay rise of 1.4% last year. Figures from the company suggest the average annual pay of the workers involved is £43,000. Felixstowe is ultimately owned by CK Hutchison Holdings, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate that controls 52 ports around the world, handling 88m 20ft containers. It also owns a number of other businesses operating in the UK, ranging from retailers Superdrug and The Perfume Shop, mobile phone network Three and water and energy companies. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Felixstowe Dock and its parent company, CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd, are both profitable and incredibly wealthy. They are fully capable of paying the workforce a fair wage. “The company has prioritized delivering multi-million pound dividends over paying its workers a decent wage.” Unite pointed to dividend payments by Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company to its owners. Dividends amounted to £100m in 2020 and £42m in 2021, according to the company’s accounts. Subscribe to the Business Today daily email or follow Guardian Business on Twitter @BusinessDesk The company’s pre-tax profits rose to £78m in 2021, up more than 25% from £61m the previous year. A company spokesman said: “We understand our employees’ concerns about the rising cost of living and are determined to do everything we can to help while we continue to invest in the port’s success. Discussions are ongoing and the company’s latest position in negotiations is an enhanced 7% wage increase. “The port has not been on strike since 1989 and we are disappointed that the union has announced industrial action while talks are ongoing. The port provides secure and well-paid employment and there will be no winners from industrial action.”