Spanish ports to strike, dockers blast reforms to end closed
2017/5/19 14:45:01
SPANISH unions are organising port strikes from May 24 - June 9, during odd hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, reports Lloyd's List.
Unions are protesting Madrid's planned reforms of the existing closed shop hiring system in compliance with European Union directives.
Waterfront sources say docker go-slows are already in effect. Maersk noted how slow-down actions on terminal operations have been initiated at the ports of Algeciras, Valencia and Barcelona.
Spain's Council of Ministers approved the reforms on Friday, and the Spanish parliament now has within the next month to ratify the proposal, Lloyd's List said.
The proposal seeks to open the closed shop docker world by eliminating Sagep - the private monopoly from which stevedoring companies must hire all dockers.
The government's first attempt to legislate the reform failed with parliament's rejection in mid-March, but Spanish media outlets are reporting that the Catalan Demographic Party is ready to support the reforms in parliament, giving the government the majority it needs, reports Lloyd's List.
Looking ahead, Maersk said in a notice to customers, "We are currently assessing what impact these actions will have on our operations and are committed to sharing more information with you as soon as possible."
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