NEW YORK: Workers at Haifa Port imposed wildcat industrial sanctions today in the course of unloading the Gunvor Maersk, which is at the port as part of the strategic line of the M2 shipping consortium of the world’s two largest shipping companies, Maersk and MSC.
Work on the ship by the A shift this morning has been proceeding at just 50% of normal output.
The wildcat action comes just a week after the president of the Haifa Labor Court absolutely prohibited sanctions at Haifa Port in a hearing on a work dispute declared by the Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel), and ordered the workers to maintain full and normal work until they obtained a different ruling, if any.
The Histadrut was surprised by the port workers’ sanctions, and the cause is still unclear.
Last weekend, the chairman of the Haifa Port workers’ committee Meir Turgeman threatened that he intended to disrupt work at the port despite the court president’s ruling.
Haifa Port management immediately petitioned the court today for a ruling that the workers were in contempt of court and should immediately return to work. Haifa Port spokesperson Zohar Rom: “We turned to the court to restore work to normal immediately. This is a shipping route of strategic importance to the State of Israel’s economy, a vote of confidence by European shipping giants at a time when our economy is not in favor on the European continent, and we are committed to providing nothing less than superb service. Unless we meet these standards, this line will simply no longer come to Israel. We won’t let this happen.”
Shipping activity at Port Qasim on February 11
KARACHI: Three ships namely, Glen Canyon, Al-Salam- II and TSM Pollux carrying Containers, Gas oil and Palm oil were arranged...
