Industrial Action Stalks Industry
Just over three weeks into 2008 and the freight industry is seemingly stalked by threats of industrial action.
Most disruptive at present is striking customs workers in Poland, creating massive waits and bottlenecks at Poland’s borders. Particularly affected is the nations eastern borders with reports of five-hundred trucks lined up and waiting for the strike to conclude. There are also some six-hundred trucks waiting inside Poland
The customs workers intensified their industrial dispute this week after beginning the action back in October of 2007. Customs workers want to procure better pay, earlier retirement and better protection from attacks.
Earlier this month, rail giant Deutsche Bahn avoided industrial action by German train drivers Union GDL. The drivers have threatened to strike over long-standing demands for more pay and revised contracts, however intervention by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport averted, for the time being, the threatened strikes, strikes that no doubt would have severely disrupted Deutsche Bahn’s freight operations.
It is believed that the compromise reached between GDL, Deutsche Bahn and the Federal Ministry of Transport includes a one-off payment of 800 Euro’s per driver to cover a contract period up to February 29. A new contract between parties to commence in March also lessens the work week by one hour from forty-one hours to forty.
Further industrial action on the horizon includes possible strikes by British Airway (BA) pilots whose opposition to planned BA subsidiary Open Skies would disrupt BA’s cargo arm, British Airlines World Cargo.
Source: Earthtimes.org and CNN International
Update: 30 January 2008 (AWDT) - It is being reported that Polish Customs Officers have returned to work. Delays in the short-term still expected. (*)