The Exporters Association (Adex) estimated that the strike by the workers at the port of Callao has caused the country to lose more than $100 million dollars. Additionally, they said, the strike would cause the country to have problems in providing basic products, such as bread, chicken, oil, flour, detergents and industrial inputs, so the inflation would increase.
"This allows us to confirm that Peru is highly dependent on the port of Callao, both for exporting and for importing consumer goods and industrial supplies, which should force the authorities to take exceptional measures to ensure the restoration of the port's normal operations for the free movement of people and cargo," they said.
They also clarified that the problem in the port wasn't generated by shippers and carriers, but that it was a conflict between the APM Terminals Company and the dockworkers, and that this was causing significant economic losses to the country.
"Any company can have operating, labour or management problems, but these should not affect others, particularly if it is a public service. In this sense the problems of the port should not affect the lives and safety of others, or the country's competitiveness," the association stated.
According to the exporter Guild, the conflict has already lasted 18 days, most of the port terminal remains inactive, and the authorities and APM Terminals Callao still haven't implemented comprehensive measures to solve the issue.
The Guild also said there were 26 ships waiting to be served and that 10 more ships would be arriving next week.
They also stated that the cargo owners, the transportation companies and the port officials that were moving cargo during the strike had been receiving death threats in order to intimidate them.
"According to sources, a sector of the dockworkers' union has been threatened and infiltrated by drug trafficking and these are the people that are opposed to the electronic controls and to the trucks entering the port," said Adex.
In face of this situation, importers, exporters and transporters asked APM Terminals and the Government to take control of the situation and create the conditions for a definitive solution so that port operations normalize within the appropriate safety standards.
Source: Gestión
