A Strike at The Largest Port in The UK Threatens to Disrupt the Supply Chain
Eight Day Walk Out at Felixstowe Could Hit as Much as $800 Million of Trade as Dispute Continues
Are We All Playing Into the Government’s Hands?!
The ability to move products from A to B has been affected by COVID and Brexit-related bottlenecks in recent years, as well as rising concerns about the environmental impact of how companies supply our goods. The unpredictability of global markets has continued to affect logistics in 2022. In addition to increased congestion at ports around the world, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created “the most significant disruption to geo-political “norms” for decades”, says global shipping firm Clarksons.
Supply chain issues have added to the cost of living crisis in the UK this year by making it more difficult and expensive to transport products like food around the world. But another new challenge to supply chain capabilities has recently emerged in the form of the industrial action spreading across various UK industries. Transport, rail, in particular, has been the focus of strike activity in recent months, with attention mostly on the disruption faced by passengers. Freight transportation has also been impacted, however, not least because large parts of the UK’s transport infrastructure are shared by passenger and freight systems.
Freight transportation and logistics workers at the UK port of Felixstowe recently announced plans for eight days of industrial action. Nearly 2,000 workers are due to start striking on August 21 in a pay dispute that recently saw them reject a 7% pay rise and £500 bonus from Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company.
The strike could cause further congestion in UK supply chains. Felixstowe is the largest container port in the UK, handling more than 40% of the country’s shipping containers. Some of the world’s largest ships serve the port, which processes more than 4 million 20-foot-long containers annually from some 2,000 ships.
Around 11 billion tons of goods are shipped globally each year, amounting to about 1.5 tons per person. Products transported using container ships range from cars to clothing, toys, and tinned food. Whether bought online or in shops and supermarkets, these items reach us through a complex network of companies called the supply chain. Key supply chain business processes include purchasing and procurement, manufacturing, warehousing, and transportation.
The transportation process is a particularly critical link in global supply chains. It aims to move material efficiently, effectively, and sustainably. Weakness anywhere in this network impacts overall supply chain capability and performance, compromising suppliers’ ability to reliably meet customer requirements. These issues not only affect how and when we can get goods, but also what we pay for them, and the success of the companies involved in supplying the products we buy.
Any disruption at Felixstowe, therefore, will cause delays when moving goods in and out of the UK. The risks to businesses, as a result, vary from sector to sector but would potentially include disruption to the supply of certain products and increased supply chain costs.
The impact of this weakness would multiply significantly when the thousands of supply chains that Felixstowe supports to bring goods into and out of the country are considered. For example, the port is a critical link for the UK’s automotive sector. UK car makers are already under pressure from global supply chain weakness. In particular, research shows Brexit has affected the industry’s ability to compete with other markets in terms of car exports.
Global Network
The UK is also unlikely to be the only region affected by industrial action. There have been recent reports of strikes by key workers at other critical supply chain facilities globally. This is part of a longer-term trend towards industrial action that could impact business models and structures throughout the global supply chain.
Looking at the broader picture, UK companies in all sectors will continue to grapple with a range of significant supply chain challenges this year. And with a looming recession, the UK’s political and business leaders need to develop solutions that will support economic recovery and growth. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is calling for improved communication between government and businesses to address supply chain issues, as well as more training and an agile migration system to address short-term labour shortages.
The supply chain industry must become stronger to ensure consumer demand is satisfied in an affordable and sustainable way. Indeed, one of the biggest single issues facing industry, but particularly the freight transportation and logistics sector is decarbonisation. This long-term problem requires more attention, alongside the new issues that are arising as a result of industrial action, in order to ensure the world’s supply networks remain open for business.
So, with the current global narratives of War, Climate Change, Inflation, and Supply-Chain disruption affecting everybody, everywhere we need to look at the powers who control these narratives.
Are We Playing Into The Governments Hands?
The Great Reset – World Economic Forum (WEF)
Since the global pandemic, we have had crisis layered on top of crisis. We seem to be asymptotic to the point of critical mass where the current global economic system either collapses, causing widespread chaos and suffering or giving way to a whole, new protocol.
All Governments have been printing money since 1971 to pay for their needs: wars, welfare benefits, bank bail-outs, stimulating their economies, etc. In 2020, we observed the largest one-year debt surge since World War II, with global debt rising to $226 trillion as the world was hit by a global health crisis and a deep recession. Debt was already elevated going into the crisis, but now governments must navigate a world of record-high public and private debt levels, new virus mutations, and rising inflation. In 2022 global debt surpassed $300 trillion!
Global Debt From $300 Trillion to $2 Quadrillion in Next 5-10 Years
History gives us a good indication of where we currently are. If we take the creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913 as the start of the current monetary system and Nixon’s seminal decision to close the gold standard in 1971, as the beginning of the end, we are now at the end of the end game.
We could easily point to the economic, political, and social decadence as clear evidence of the coming global collapse. But the easiest method for measuring where we are is obviously the debasement of the currencies.
All currencies have lost 97- 99% in purchasing power since 1971 and around 85% since 2000.
The final fall of 1-3% since 1971 to reach a ZERO value for the fiat currencies is likely to take place in the next 5-10 years. But remember that this is a 1-3% fall means 100% from today.
The big problem this time is that we are talking about the global system and not just one currency or nation. Because the global debt catastrophe today involves both East and West as well as all developing nations. Thus the length and depth of the coming fall is likely to be greater than at any time in history.
Let’s not forget that even the mighty World Economic Forum states on their website that “The cost-of-living crisis has so far pushed 71 million into poverty!”
Online sources: theconversation.com, sky.news.com, ft.com All opinions and views expressed or suggested by the Digital Zeitgeist are not necessarily the same opinions and views held by or suggested by GPM-Invest plus any and all partners, affiliates, parties, or third parties of GPM-Invest. Any type of media distributed by GPM-Invest IS NOT financial advice. Please seek advice from a professional financial advisor