Germany goes on general strike
Recently, strikes have occurred frequently, which may affect the delivery of goods clearance: there was a national strike in Germany, and transportation was paralyzed; A general strike at Australian ports has affected port operations...
German rail workers go on strike
Deutsche Bahn (DB) is facing the threat of a strike by the train drivers' union (GDL) from Monday, January 8, which could cause severe travel disruption and economic impact.
It is understood that back in December, the union voted to allow unrestricted strikes: a form of industrial action without a clear end date that can drag on longer than the usual 24-hour warning strike.
GDL is locked in a bitter dispute with DB over pay and conditions, with the union demanding a €555 monthly pay rise, a €3,000 inflation bonus and a 35-hour working week instead of 38.
DB, meanwhile, has offered an 11% pay rise but has so far refused to negotiate on the issue of working hours.
According to GDL leader Claus Weselsky, negotiations on the length of the working week are a prerequisite for avoiding further strikes.
The German peasant strike
At the same time, the German Farmers' Association, together with the cantonal farmers' associations and the German LSV, has called for a week of demonstrations throughout Germany to protest against the abolition of the agricultural diesel and vehicle tax exemption from 8 January 2024, for the week from 8 January to 15 January inclusive.
There will be hundreds of tractors on the roads and highways.
The protests, which could last until April, have prompted warnings of major road traffic restrictions in many German cities, with police expecting significant disruption to traffic across the country.
Demonstrators will also block important traffic arteries, the demonstration will cause traffic blockades, affecting the normal transport of trucks. In response, DPD has issued a delay warning notice.
The specific protests registered so far are as follows:
For the above two strikes, freight forwarders have issued an emergency notice, saying that from January 8 to 15, due to large-scale demonstrations and protests, federal roads and highway entrances and entrances to industrial areas and other important traffic points will be blocked. The protests could cause delays in the delivery of goods.
Road traffic will be severely restricted as strikes take place across Germany. It may cause traffic jams, or even the driver can not drive, so the goods will not be able to reach the unloading position according to the original delivery plan.
At the same time, express delivery will also be delayed or slow, whether truck delivery or express delivery will cause a certain degree of delay. Relevant owners of freight forwarders to remind customers that goods will be delivered late.
The Australian dock strike
It is also worth noting that the Australian docks are also currently going on strike.
DP World Australia has received additional protective industrial action notices from the CFMMEU (Australian Maritime Union Division) for each of the Ports of Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Fremantle.
The strike action will continue until January 15, 2024.
Maersk also announced the news in a customer update: Port operations in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Fremantle will be affected.
Maersk said the receipt and delivery of reefers and dry cargo in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney would be suspended for a certain period of time.
The affected ports are as follows:
The Australian union has been involved in industrial action since October, carrying out stoppages and 24-hour strikes in a bid to secure an 8 per cent annual pay rise. The strike action has caused a backlog of about 45,000 containers, causing huge losses.
The stoppages mean that ships carrying local products such as home appliances and medicines, as well as ships exporting red meat and fresh fruit, will face delays of 10 to 12 days when they take their products overseas.
Brian Hack, managing director of freight forwarder EES Shipping, said the economic and reputational damage to Australia would only continue to worsen if the strike did not end soon.
"This is no longer just an issue for DP World and the Maritime Federation of Australia, Australian businesses are being significantly impacted and are losing out due to ongoing delays and uncertainty," Hack added.
Affected by this, for the goods on the Australian route, freight forwarders and cargo owners should pay attention to the ship's shipping schedule and port affiliation before delivery, so as to avoid affecting the efficiency of cargo transportation due to ship adjustment.
