The Port of Valencia is the main stage of the dockers' conflict in Spain. Yesterday, dockworkers left the enclosure of Grao on the brink of collapse after stopping work for two hours to hold an informal meeting, stated the Stevedoring Society of the Port of Valencia (Sevasa). In addition, the main terminal operators -Noatum, APM and MSC- recorded losses of 2.5 million euro a day due to the workers' slowdown that began on Wednesday, February 15, while other port's dockworkers resumed their normal activities. As a result, the companies situated at the Port Authority of Valencia (APV) have accumulated losses of some 32.5 million euro.
The assembly of the stevedores was held at noon, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, which caused a five kilometer traffic jam on the V-30, according to port sources. In addition, the conflict at the Port of Valencia facility resulted in the loss of five more ships, as they chose to divert to other destinations last weekend. So far 17 vessels have been diverted from the APV. The ports that have benefited from this conflict are Barcelona, Sines (Portugal), and Gioia Tauro (Italy), even though stevedores there have pledged support to their peers and said they wouldn't take over the diverted goods.
So far, the port has lost more than 16,000 containers that would have been channeled through the port of Valencia, according to a statement from Sevasa.
The slowdown has reduced the productivity of the terminals at the Port of Valencia at an average rate of 35% for almost two weeks. All these incidents are being recorded and sent to the State Ports so that we can file a complaint, stated Aurelio Martinez, president of the APV.
In recent weeks, different personalities and entities have warned about the serious damage that this conflict poses to Valencia's entire economic fabric. The region is Spain's second biggest exporter so the companies in the region would be the most affected by the actions of the strikers, said Salvador Navarro, the president of the provincial employers' of Valencia (CEV). "This represents a 23% fall in average productivity," he said.
In addition, the conflict has hit the Valencian economy and the production chains of companies that depend on these trade flows, because 50% of the traffic at the Port of Valencia corresponds to imports-exports, while Algeciras only moves less than 10% imports-exports. The most sensitive sectors are precisely the region's mainstays, such as the chemicals, textiles, ceramics, food and agriculture and automotive sectors, with Ford among the most affected companies.
Video cameras were sabotaged
Sevasa, which brings together the stevedoring companies, denounced yesterday that a collective of stevedores had disabled ten security cameras, valued at 8,500 euro each, in its facilities. According to Sevasa, the workers sabotaged the cameras moments before holding their meeting. "Sevasa regrets that the port of Valencia is, once again, the most harmed party by a national problem due to the entry into force of the Royal Decree amending stowage and the negotiations of a collective agreement," they stated.
Anesco and the representatives of the stevedores, led by the union Coordinator, are scheduled to meet today. In the meeting, they will discuss the workers' main demands, such as having a record of stevedores that allows them to keep jobs. Meanwhile, the government is getting support in Parliament so that the country's political parties will vote in favor of the new rule to avoid a huge fine from the European Union. A nine-day strike at the ports will begin on March 6.
Source: lasprovincias.es