The transfer of freight containers at the largest port in Europe, Rotterdam, has been immobilized as lashers started a 48-hour strike at noon on Wednesday, October 8, demanding the payment of higher wages, Reuters reports. Simultaneously, the protests by port workers in the neighboring Antwerp-Bruges continue to disrupt maritime trade.
The labor union FNV stated that all employees of International Lashing Services and Matrans Marine Services, the two companies providing mooring services operating in the Dutch port, had stopped their work at 15:15, continuing the strike until the same time on Friday.
“Without lashers the entire port is immobilized,” stated the FNV spokesperson, Niek Stam.
According to the port authority of Rotterdam, the strike is certain to impact maritime transport, however the impact cannot yet be estimated.
