UP to 40 cargo vessels were left stranded outside the Belgian port of Antwerp
after harbour pilots staged a walkout recently, with the indefinite
strike also affecting operations at the smaller ports of Zeebrugge and
Ghent.
The pilots launched the industrial
action in response to a controversial plan by the federal government
that would "reduce the benefits afforded to pilots in their capacity as
public employees", including paid time off and long-term
disability pay, according to a report by The Brussels Times.
The strike, which could soon spread
to inland waterways as well, began after a meeting with the Flemish
government's vice-minister-president Liesbeth Homans during which the
two sides failed to reach an agreement.
"What the unions are doing now
is unprecedented, and demonstrates anything but a sense of
responsibility," Mr Homans was quoted as saying by The Brussels Times.
"Anyone with any sense of responsibility will come to the table instead of
crippling the Flemish economy and holding a huge number of businesses and their
employees hostage."
According to BlueWater Reporting, the
port of Antwerp receives 100 regular cargo services operated
by several of the largest shipping lines and all three of the major east-west
shipping alliances, including 77 direct strings connecting the
port with regions outside of Europe and 41 intra-European loops, reported American
Shipper.
Source : HKSG.
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