Chilean Port Workers Strike Disrupts Container Movements
Over 200 workers at Chile's San Antonio port remain on strike and workers at other ports have said they would not unload San Antonio port operator Puerto Central ships.
Over 200 workers at Chile's San Antonio port remain on strike with workers at other ports saying they will not unload Puerto Central ships. Members of the Maritime Port Workers’ Federation of Costanera Espigón (Fetraportces) began their latest indefinite walkout on Saturday after failing to reach an agreement with port managers over shift patterns.
A statement from Fetraportces president Diego Silva in the local media says that the San Antonio port was not respecting agreements made previously, making distinctions between contracted and casual workers.
Union leaders have highlighted several demands including additional pay for workers during the night shifts and the immediate initiation of collective bargaining negotiations between workers and Puerto Central executives.
According to a local media, Telesur TV, executives at Muellaje Central, a Puerto Central subsidiary that manages container handling in the terminal, say that agreements with workers have been met and respected, whilst calling on some workers to stop blocking access to the port.
However, the recent strikes have generated a great deal of concern in the fruit sector. Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX) President Ronald Brown expressed concern over how the stoppage would affect fruit exports.
