Strikers halt South African port and rail cargo movement

SOUTH AFRICA container ports ceased to function over the weekend as the two big transport unions stuck to demands for a 15 per cent pay increase from the state-run ports and logistics company Transnet, which is only offering 11 per cent.

Workers from the South Africa Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) and the United Transport and Allied Trade Union (UTATU), paraded to the Transnet headquarters to make their demands.

Maersk unit Safmarine said the gates to the ports of Durban and Cape Town were both closed. At Port Elzabeth, gates were open but no ships docked, reported London's Containerisation International.

Some 40,000 Transnet workers of 54,000 total staff are on strike, stopping cargo movement by rail and through harbours. Union militants have been accused of perpetrating violence and sabotage with a train derailment being the most serious incident so far.

The busy citrus season is approaching and while delays in the cold chain may not damage the product completely it can impair its shelf life and quality.

(Source: www.schednet.com)