STRIKING longshoremen launched Sweet Caroline on the picket line yesterday.
But the deafening song came as bosses warned of wage stagnation.
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Shocking dockers launched Sweet Caroline on the picket line yesterday Credit: Paul Edwards
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But the deafening song came as bosses warned of wage stagnation
The departure from Britain’s biggest container port will affect trade by road, rail and shipping worth £700m.
Yesterday, just one crane was in action at the docks in Felixstowe, Suffolk.
The video shows a striker encouraging others to join in with the chorus of “good times never felt so good”.
The day before, the strikers danced a conga.
But a transport operator from a nearby freight company was furious: “This party atmosphere will not sit well with the public when we all feel the pinch.
“It could backfire and people could turn them on if we see empty shelves at Christmas.
“It’s tone deaf. How can you be singing and dancing about the times being good when you’re protesting that the times are bad?”
Only 100 workers joined the picket line yesterday, while two portable toilets were also brought in.
Hutchison Ports has offered a seven per cent pay rise, plus £500 and extra bonuses.
But the Unite union denied this without consulting members earlier this month and is pushing for a ten per cent rise.
Paul Davey, head of corporate affairs at Felixstowe Port, said: “The people who are being hurt the most by this strike are the workers. There are no winners.”