This morning, the Ashdod port staff’ committee, which is affiliated with the Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel), announced “organizational measures” that the port management described as a “wildcat strike.” The commission says the reason for the strike is the preference for temporary shift staff over experienced staff.
Histadrut said in an announcement: “The Ashdod Port Authority didn’t respect the agreements with the staff’ committee. Organizational activities are currently being undertaken in the port of Ashdod. The talks are being conducted by knowledgeable team of the Transport and Ports Association with the management board and the staff committee.
Temporary staff were hired because of the queues that formed outside the port, which also served the armed forces during the war.
Last October, the port authority announced its approval to employ 85 temporary dockers for a period of as much as two years, in accordance with the contracts signed with Histadrut.
An announcement issued this morning on behalf of the Port of Ashdod reads: “The Operations Committee at the Port of Ashdod launched a wild, illegal strike this morning, all of sudden and contrary to the agreements made between the company and Histadrut, which has caused activities at the port to be closed, the Ashdod Port Company doesn’t intend to just accept such conduct and has already this morning approached the Labor Court to take care of the matter.
Hiring additional labor is crucial to efforts to scale back the queues which have formed outside Israeli ports and which have worsened since the ceasefire in the north. This morning, 24 ships were waiting outside the port of Ashdod, and one other 30 were waiting outside ports in the north. Steel importers are warning of steel shortages at construction sites and say NIS 150 million price of steel is floating in traffic jams at ports. They are demanding the government reach an agreement at ports to unlock quays that currently house containers for general cargo akin to steel and timber. Construction contractors interviewed by “Globes” claimed that there are not any difficulties at the moment.
Published by Globes, Israeli Business News – pl.globes.co.il – January 5, 2025
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