Operations have come to a standstill at the Port of Antwerp

Strikes halt operations at Belgian ports

A 24 hour strike at ports in Belgium has brought the country’s shipping trade to a standstill, with Europe’s third largest port, the Port of Antwerp, amongst those affected.

As of 11.30 GMT, traffic had brought 50 ships at Antwerp to a halt, of which 27 were waiting to leave the port and 23 were waiting to enter it. The port expects it will take at least one day to clear the backlog.

Dock workers are unhappy at pro-austerity measures made by Belgium’s government and also “fear” that the EU is looking to change the way operations are organised.

While today’s strike is only affecting certain provinces, a full national strike will take place on 15 December. At Antwerp, unions have cordoned off the entire port area with pickets at entry roads into the port.

Annik Dirkx, press officer of the Port of Anterp, said: “Port activities are at a very low pace. Although some people are willing to work, activities in the port happen in a whole chain. Since some parts of the chain are not present, port activities cannot be conducted in a normal way.”

Dirkx added that the backlog of 50 ships was a relatively low number because the port had already informed clients of the impending strike and they had been able to seek alternative measures.

There was a rise in activity on Saturday but Dirkx expects that some trade may have gone to other rival ports.

Last month, in an interview with CM, the CEO of Antwerp’s Port Authority, Eddy Bruyninckx, had said that one of the main advantages of the port was its reliability derived from a “good social climate” and “no strikes”.

He added: “Dock workers are respected, they’re proud of their job.”

Dirkx insisted that today’s strike was directed at the government and not the port, saying: “The strike is not against the port. People are striking because they don’t agree with the austerity policy of the government.”

It is feared that austerity measures will cut employees’ income, extend working time, restrict social services and extend the start of pensions by two years.

Strike closes Port of Antwerp

Belga

Mon 24/11/2014 - 11:07 Colin ClapsonThe port of Antwerp is at a standstill due to the provincial strike in Antwerp Province organised by the three main unions against government austerity.

The strike started on Sunday after pilots walked out preventing navigation into the ports of Antwerp, Ghent and Zeebrugge.

26 ships are waiting to leave the port. A further 15 are unable to enter the port due to the strike.

The unions have cordoned off the entire port area. Entry roads into the port are being picketed preventing anybody wanting to get to work to do so.

It's relatively calm on the picket line. After the drink-fuelled violence during the big union demo in Brussels on 6 November union reps have asked picketers to stay off alcoholic beverages.

Belga

Eddy Bruyninckx, the CEO of the port of Antwerp has said that his greatest worry is the damage to the port's reputation caused by the strike. Mr Bruyninckx also called for social talks between employers and unions so that EU port policies can be adopted in the harbour that is responsible for some 10% of Flanders' GDP.

Mr Bruyninckx also notes that the strike has taken a different turn because of grievances about EU port policies. The EU wants Belgium to change legislation that says that only port workers can do certain jobs. The port CEO notes that it's not the port management that wants to make the changes:

"We have been given some time to make the changes and I hope that these can be made. Changes have nothing to do with port workers' spending power or the work statute of port workers. It's about crucial forms of organisation."