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Dockers at APM Terminals existing Rotterdam terminal return to work following successful negotiations
APM Terminals and Dutch unions FNV and CNV have agreed a new labour contract for Maasvlakte2 due to open in the Port of Rotterdam next year.
The principal agreement also covers dockers working at APM Terminals’ existing box facility in Rotterdam, which suffered several days of stoppages this week as contract negotiations between the two parties stalled. The stoppages resulted in a number of Maersk vessels being diverted to the neighbouring Port of Antwerp.
The new collective labor agreement (CLA), effective from January 1st 2014 through to December 31st 2017, offers salaries adjusted for inflation each year plus wage increases of 0.5 percent in 2015 and one percent in 2016 on top of inflation, plus €3,600 in one-off payments over the CLA period.
“The new CLA contains clear labor condition agreements for employees interested in transferring to our new facility,” said APM Terminals Maasvlakte2 managing director, Frank Tazelaar.
“And for our customers, they know they will be able to access 24/7 operations at our terminal.”
Maasvlakte2, set to become Europe’s largest container terminal complex, is currently being constructed on reclaimed land from the North Sea. APM Terminals’ Maasvalkte2 terminal will open in November 2014 with an initial capacity of 2.7 million TEU rising to 4.7 million TEU upon completion. The second container terminal operating at Maasvalkte2 is being built by Dubai-based operator DP World as part of a joint venture with four of the world’s biggest shippers, CMA CGM, APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine and MOL.