According to the newspaper El País, the port workers of the container terminal of Buenaventura, TcBuen went on strike on Wednesday to express their disagreements with the directives of the Colombian terminal.
The strike agglomerates more than 300 workers who remain on the outskirts of the terminal with the paralyzed labor operation. In these moments the two parties meet to be able to conclude a negotiation and lift the strike that has delayed the withdrawal of the load of the clients despite the efforts of the terminal to maximize the number of appointments to encourage the evacuation of cargo from the terminal . Additionally, the strike also forced the diversion of a ship to the Port Company of Buenaventura where the service had been requested since last Monday. Now, if the situation continues, the shipping lines would continue to consider diverting their vessels to the SPB or the Sociedad Puerto Industrial Agua Dulce S.A.
Port workers request improvements in their working conditions, particularly the 12-hour shifts without minimum benefits such as food and salary compensation. Additionally, terminal workers share their discomfort when they see how the ships are diverted to other terminals, representing losses if the port directors take on the demands of their workers.
The negotiations are expected to proceed, however, it is unknown for now a possible negotiation and lifting of the strike by port workers. Finally, the losses that have been generated to the terminal in Colombia or the total impact to the rest of the supply chain of importers and exporters are unknown.
