STRIKES WORLDWIDE * France - Ports, Railroads Face 24 Hour Strike

Rolling stoppages expected to disrupt freight transport

Paris,France -The Journal of Commerce Online, by Bruce Barnard -Oct 5, 2010: -- France's ports and railways face coordinated 24 hour strikes next week that threaten to develop into rolling stoppages that will seriously disrupt freight transport in Europe's second largest economy... The strikes on Oct. 12 are to be part of a nationwide protest against the government's plan to raise the retirement age in France to 62 from 60... The threat by unions to step up industrial action comes as dockworkers block the Fos-Lavera oil terminal at the port of Marseilles for the ninth day running in a dispute over plans to privatize stevedoring operations previously run by publicly owned port authorities... The port was also hit by a 72- hour strike over the weekend that halted operations at general cargo, dry bulk, ferry and container terminals until early Monday, when dockworkers returned to work... The strike at the oil terminal was blocking 44 ships on Tuesday, mostly oil tankers and oil products carriers waiting to discharge their cargoes at the world's third largest oil port after Houston and Rotterdam...

* Greece - Trucker's Strike Ends

Athens,Greece, -About.com, by deTraci Regula -October 3, 2010: -- The strike by unions protesting changes to how some aspects of the trucking industry are handled has come to an end, though a few truckers will still be parking their vehicles on major thoroughfares... While most travelers in Greece did not feel the effects of the strike directly, fuel shortages changed some ferry schedules and some essentials - like SIM cards for cell phones - were in short supply and ran out in some places. I'm not sure I agree with one passenger who insisted that the hydrofoils were temporarily forced to be burning kerosene for fuel, but it sure smelled that way on the Santorini to Crete run...


* UK - Fuel tanker strikes ditched, but talks continue

London,UK -Road Transport, by Joanna Bourke -2 October 2010: -- Threats of strike action by fuel tanker drivers this month have receded, but a union-led campaign targeted at improving pay and conditions for members has not been abandoned, says Unite... The trade union tells that positive progress has been made between employers and employees. This follows a letter from Unite to fuel sector operators including BP, Shell and Esso, as well as retailers Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda,warning of potential industrial action by some of Britain's 3,000 fuel tanker drivers in response to a "squeezing of their conditions"... Wincanton, which runs fuel tankers, would not comment on the dispute because "contract negotiations are a private matter". However, the firm maintains it has a good relationship with its fuel tanker driver employees... Meanwhile, TransAction founder Mike Presneill tells, that in the event of a strike by tanker drivers, the pressure group would urge the industry to support all tanker drivers, given their support for fuel duty protests in previous years... (Photo from roadtransport)


* India - Port Nehru Truckers Call Off Strike. Containers move through Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal

Port Nehru,India -The Journal of Commerce Online -Oct 1, 2010: -- Unionized truckers late Friday called off a four-day strike at the Port of Jawaharlal Nehru, allowing ocean containers to move through Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal... The settlement followed several rounds of tense negotiations between senior officials of the terminal authority, a DP World company, and representatives of the Nhava Sheva Container Operators’ Association. The intervention of user bodies such as the Container Shipping Lines’ Association and the Mumbai-Nhava Sheva Ship Agents’ Associations also helped resolve the impasse... The truck owner-operator group, which represents the local trucking community, said terminal management agreed to address the truckers’ concerns over increased turnaround times for vehicles handling local movements... Officials said striking drivers, who walked off the job Sept. 28 protesting delays at the private terminal, resumed trucking operations...