Labor dispute at ports create instability

Labor disputes and strike actions at the ports of Haifa and Ashdod  severely disrupted commercial ties between the ports management companies and several international shipping companies
 
Following a week long industrial unrest it is now clear that foreign shipping companies are having a second thought of doing business in Israel due to the troubled labor relations at Israel’s ports.
 
Last week Haifa Port employees disrupted work at the port, causing substantial unrest at Haifa port, and bringing to an end the industrial quiet that ports reformers had boasted of since early last year.
 
The labor dispute at Haifa port has aggravated further a situation that was already acute following the repeated labor sanctions at the port of Ashdod.
 
The end to strikes actions and ways to ensure industrial quiet at both maritime gateways was extensively considered during last week by all the parties involved : Israel Shippers Council, Chamber of Shipping, Chamber of Commerce and the Trade Union in Israel.
 
By the end of the week both port workers and port management acknowledge that industrial quiet was in doubt.
 
Amos Uzani, director general of the port of Haifa and Mr. Shuki Sagis director general of the port of Ashdod stressed last week that the damage caused by the threat of strike action alone would have a devastating and dramatic effect on the development of all Israel’s ports.
 
Both noted to the press that shipping companies were reluctant to use the port due to the unstable labor relations. Both insisted that the threat of strike action was enough on its own to cause companies to take their business elsewhere.