ABOUT 1,900 workers at Hutchison's English port of Felixstow in Sufflolk, which handles nearly half of the country's container traffic, have begun an eight-day strike on Sunday to demand better pay terms.

The dock worker, who are members of the Unite union at the UK's largest container por,t have gone on strike for the first time in 30 years, reports BBC.

Unite said members rejected a 7 per cent pay offer from the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company, which it said was below the rate of inflation.

A picket line formed early on Sunday as the strike began, and the union said it would be manned until 22:00 on each day of the walkout.

A port spokesman said the strike was "disappointing". Miles Hubbard, from Unite's regional office, told BBC: "Very few people reported for work this morning. The picket line has been in place since 6am and we're getting great support from the public."

About 2,550 people work at the Port of Felixstowe - the country's busiest port, handling about 48 per cent of the UK's container trade. Striking workers include crane drivers, machine operators and stevedores who load and unload ships.

Port spokesman Paul Davey said the average pay for workers at Felixstowe was GBP43,000 (US$50,794), and employees had been offered a 7 per cent rise plus a single payment of GBP500.

He said the offer represented an increase of between 8.1 per cent and 9.6 per cent, depending upon the category of worker at the port, at a time when the average pay increase in the country was 5 per cent.

"We've got a shrinking economy, we're going into recession. I think that's a very fair offer indeed," he said.

A growing number of unions are planning a strike at a time when Britain is facing its worst livelihood crisis in decades. The latest figures put inflation at 10.1 per cent - the highest in 40 years - and a growing number of Britons are struggling to cope with rising energy and food prices as there are enough wages to cover the level of cost of living.