Workers at the Port of Grangemouth in Scotland have begun a two-week strike over changes to working conditions, bringing shipping freight operations to a standstill, according to The Scotsman.
Sandy Smart, Regional Officer of Unite the Union, said: “We have repeatedly approached the employer in an effort to resolve this and avoid a damaging dispute but we have been stonewalled at every turn.
“The anger of our members is clear in the overwhelming support for strikes and their demands for proper negotiations concerning the future of their livelihoods.”
The most recent occurrence of strike action took place at terminals at the Port of New York and New Jersey, after walking out of work for reasons that were unclear.
Strikes can be particularly harmful to port operations, as was the case with the historic shutdown at a number of US West Coast ports in early 2015.
However, with enough mediation between ports and their respective unions, agreements can be reached and TEU volumes recovered.
A prime example is the Port of Long Beach, which has seen its eighth consecutive month of volume increases since the 2015 strikes.
