Transport is down! A general strike broke out in many countries! Supply chain collapse!
According to foreign media news, since the morning of October 21, due to the 48-hour strike action by Prime Mover trailer workers, container traffic in and out of Chittagong and storage yards in Bangladesh has been suspended.
Shippers and ship owners outside the terminals said export containers could not be brought to ports for shipment because of the strike, while containers full of imports and empty containers could not be shipped out of the country's main seaports.
It is understood that the action of the Prime Move trailer Union in Chittagong Port District will affect the port's daily throughput of 3,000 to 4,000 TEU.
Ruhul Amin Sikder, secretary general of the Bangladesh Inland Container Yards Association (BICDA), said that if the strike continued, it would not be possible to ship containers in time and many containers would miss their designated vessels.
Union president Selim Khan pointed the finger squarely at Mohammadia Enterprise and Asif International, the region's two largest transit operators, claiming they reneged on multiple aspects of an agreement signed in April.
Selim Khan said the operators had not only failed to ensure the provision of employment letters and identity cards, but had not yet met the minimum wage requirements set by the government.
"In April, the union and the company owners signed an agreement to implement these demands within 45 days, but the company owners have not implemented these demands, so we implemented the strike and will not call it off until productive discussions have taken place," he explained.
Many prime mover towing company owners have implemented these legal requirements, but those who are members of the owners' association are dragging their feet."
Meanwhile, Chowdhury Zafar Ahmed, secretary general of the Bangladesh Association of Cargo Transport Owners with Prime mokers for Pickup Trucks, questioned the legality of the strike.
"There is no reference in the Road Transport Act 2018 to the letter of appointment of cargo transport drivers," he claimed. Union members are going on strike illegally. He added that about 117 trailers have been taken out of service since Oct. 6.
The strike by tow truck workers is also expected to cause delays in Chittagong, which has already seen cargo traffic disrupted for various reasons this year.
Brazilian port strike crisis
In addition to Chittagong, Brazilian ports are also facing a general strike crisis. Local media Reconecta News reported that about 60,000 port workers in Brazil will go on strike for 12 hours on October 22.
The strike will last from 07:00 to 19:00 local time and will affect stevedoring and port labor at all Brazilian ports.
In the port of Santos, Brazil's largest port, around 20,000 professionals will take part in the strike, Reconecta said. Dockworkers belonging to the three national unions have confirmed their participation in the strike.
It is reported that the reason for the strike is the recent introduction of a bill that revokes the labor rights of temporary workers and dockworkers and closes public terminals in Santos. The proposal will be formally introduced in the House of Representatives on October 23.
Strike of Spanish truckers
Spain's two largest unions, CCOO and UGT, announced on Monday that Spanish truck drivers plan to carry out a series of strike actions from October 28 to demand earlier and better retirement conditions.
According to the representatives of the two major unions, if their demands are not met, the drivers will go on strike on the following dates: October 28, November 11, November 28, November 29, December 5 and December 9.An indefinite strike is planned for December 23.
The union's demands are aimed at improving working conditions for drivers, focusing in particular on the retirement age (currently set at 67) and partial retirement rights, with the hope that these conditions will be brought into line with those of other high-risk jobs.
There are about 250,000 salaried truck drivers in Spain, but unions expect self-employed drivers to join the strike, which could rise to 500,000. Overall, 70% of employees in the industry are represented by UGTs or CCOOs.
Last year, a month-long strike by truck drivers nearly brought Spain's supply chain to a standstill, causing food shortages, rising inflation and hitting economic growth.
If the unions go on strike again, it is likely to have a serious impact on Spain's supply chain and economy again.
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