Dockworkers at US ports go on strike amid standoff risking new shortages

The strike is affecting 36 ports and is the first by the union since 1977

Hundreds of longshoremen formed a picket outside the Virginia International Gateway in Portsmouth, Virginia Picture: Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot via AP

Dockworkers at ports from Maine to Texas in the US have set up picket lines in a strike over wages and automation that could reignite inflation and cause shortages of goods if it goes on for more than a few weeks.

The contract between the ports and about 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) expired at midnight, and although progress was reported in talks on Monday, the workers went on strike.