the Spanish government invites unions and terminalisti to find an agreement that soon arrest warrants strikes in the ports



The first three days of strike of the Spanish harbour workers, indetti for mondays and Wednesdays slid and in order today from the unions in order to protest against the receente introduction of the regal one I decree that to modification the harbour labor law ( on 1° June 2017), they have caused economic losses for beyond 36 million euros, that is 12 million euros to the day. The Spanish ministry of the economic Development, that it is charged among other things of the performance of the policies of the government of Madrid in the fields of the terrestrial transports, marine and airplane has communicated today, explaining that such figures turn out from the data supplied to governmental agency Puertos of the Estado from the Harbour Authorities and the companies of the harbour community.

In a note the ministry has specified that of this 12 million euros of every day losses, 2,5 million euros correspond to the terrestrial transport via road and railroad and five million to the terminals operator. The remaining losses are distributed on all the remainder of the harbour community (tugs, pilots, concessionaires of commercial, operating services logistic, etc). Moreover to these economic losses it goes added an increase of the costs of the logistics that weigh on the loaders that have used logistic chains alternatives.

The ministry has evidenced that, besides the recorded economic damage in the first three days of strike, the damage to the reputation of the Spanish ports and the entire Country joins also, since - it has emphasized the ministry - in a field as the logistics where the prevedibilità of the flow of traffic of the goods is essential, a loss of reliability caused from the interruption of the job has happened on the docks.

The ministry has confirmed that the stop of the activity in the ports has induced is the navigation companies that the harbour terminalisti to reprogram their activities, what that the lessened reduction of the operations of cargo and drainage of the ships has determined. The ministry has found that, for example, the company Maersk Line has diverted the maiden voyage of its ship Madrid Maersk of class "Triple", than with a cargo ability pairs to about 20.600 container teu is one of the portacontainer larger of the world, from the Spanish port of Algeciras to that Moroccan of Tanger Med. And, altogether, Maersk Line has diverted a total of 15 ships whose port of call had been programmed in origin to Algeciras; moreover - it has supported the ministry - the Danish company also has decided definitively to move on Tanger Med a traffic of 150 thousand handlings per year and, as a result of this decision, the port of Algeciras will record means million handlings in less than previewed before the days of strike of this week and those carried out previously.

The ministry has remembered that annually in the port of Algeciras 3.172.000 movements of container are recorded, of which 2.400.000 teu they correspond to the single Maersk Line, which – the governmental note emphasizes - in order to upgrade the activities of the company in the Moroccan port have transferred you two crane previously installed on the docks of the port Egyptian of Port Saïd.

The ministry has found that these data on the definitive transfer of ships and containerized traffics confirm the risks evidenced from the ministry if strikes and slows down of the activity in the ports had happened. "The definitive transfer of the ships that it begins to happen, as it is happening for the port of Algeciras - it has denounced the ministry - will bring serious damages to the economy, an impact important negative for the port and the entire region of Andalusia, so as for the places of work in the harbour field".

"The decision of the unions to continue strike - it has observed the ministry - is hitting in direct and definitive way the occupation in the ports. Therefore the Ministry of the economic Development newly invites unions and employers to return as soon as possible to the dialogue, to revoke strike and to restore the normal activity in the Spanish ports. To maintain strike in the current circumstances - it has concluded the ministry - means the loss of places of work, for which us it appeals to the responsibility of both the parts in order to place end to this situation".