General strike causes delays in Flemish ports
The general strike in Belgium is causing delays in Flemish ports. Around 40 ships were waiting to enter or leave a port on Monday morning, the Maritime and Coastal Services (MDK) agency reported.
In the North Sea, there are currently 25 ships waiting with Antwerp or Ghent as their final destination. Eight ships are waiting to leave the port in Antwerp and six in Ghent.
"There is an impact on shipping to and from the ports in Flanders," says MDK. "This is partly due to the decisions of other partners, such as the decision of the lock keepers to block the locks." According to the ACOD pilots' union, Belgium's nautical chain has virtually "come to a complete standstill".
"There is an impact on shipping to and from the ports in Flanders"
MDK says it is making every effort to serve waiting vessels as quickly as possible and to keep waiting times as short as possible. "Of course, we are part of the nautical chain and therefore partly dependent on our other partners," a spokesperson said.
Many shipping companies anticipated the strike day and allowed ships to leave earlier. As a result, ACOD says there has been a sharp increase in shipping traffic to and from ports in recent days.
This is not the first time that maritime workers have protested against the government's pilot plans. They staged a similar action earlier this month, which also caused delays for ships entering or leaving Flemish ports.
Dockworkers, meanwhile, limited their participation to a one-hour stoppage spread over the day. In Antwerp, their joint union is visiting the port's major companies - including MPET, PSA, DP World and Katoen Natie - to voice their concerns about the government's pension plans.
They are not stopping work the entire day because "the uncertainty about the concrete implementation of the coalition agreement makes a general strike less appropriate at this time," the joint union says. "Rushed action could weaken our negotiating position".
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP
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