Shanghai truck strike ebbs as port cuts fees truckers must pay

THE Port of Shanghai has cut fees to satisfy truckers who had been protesting over high fuel prices for a week, reports London's Financial Times.


Truckers at several terminals around Shanghai have been protesting what they say are unfair fees from container loading centres and complaining that the rising cost of diesel makes it impossible for them to make ends meet, said the FT. At least one truck was burnt during the protests, as drivers targeted non-striking drivers.


"Port operations are relatively normal, and the lines of trucks have started to move," one observer told the FT. "I haven't heard of any violence, although the number of trucks coming out for work is still low."


On Saturday the Shanghai government ordered the cancellation or reduction of fees applied to truckers.


"To promote the development of Shanghai's container shipping routes, and relieve the pressure that rising costs and fees have placed on transportation businesses, the city government has researched and agreed to new regulations on the fee-collecting behaviour of Shanghai's container shipping companies, to clean up all kinds of unreasonable fees," said the Shanghai government statement.
(Source:http://www.schednet.com)