As expected, the first day of strike actions organised by the shipping and stevedoring company unions in the province of Valencia, Spain, led to an almost complete paralysis of all port activities last Friday.
Lack of agreement in Collective Bargaining negotiations has led to 11 days of strike actions, which are also expected for the following days: 17, 18, 24 and 25 June and 1 and 5 July.
According to union sources, "a large majority of the sector is supporting the actions, with a 100% paralysis of operations in the Port of Valencia's private terminals." For UGT and CCOO, "the anchorage of numerous ships at the port's entrance is testament to the total cessation of activities and the negative economic impact that it entails, and the unions demand the continued enforcement of the Collective Bargaining while negotiations take place."
According to the same sources, "the unions have shown their disposition to continue the Collective Bargaining negotiations, as no agreement was reached because of the Maritime Association's lack of willingness to do so."
Open to dialogue
The Maritime Association of Valencia, for its part, stated yesterday that shipping company activities developed "normally," while activities in container terminals were "completely paralysed" and only "30% of vehicles were in operation, as minimum service regulations require."
Regarding the conflict, the Association did not provide any new information to that released last Tuesday, when it expressed its "willingness to negotiate with union representatives, despite the calling for 11 days of strike actions and their position in matters that will deeply harm the Port of Valencia's competitiveness. The goal is to reach a satisfactory agreement for both parts focused on ensuring a good future for the Port of Valencia."
Source: Diariodelpuerto.com
