British trade union confirms two-week strike action at Port of Liverpool container division
British trade union Unite has confirmed that more than 560 port operatives and maintenance engineers will take strike action from 06:00 (local time) Monday 19 September to 06:00 Monday 3 October at the Port of Liverpool.
Peel Ports, the operator of the UK container port, said the move is designed to disrupt operations at the port after a pay package of 8.3% was rejected by the union, and following demands for greater pay increases. On the other side, the union stated that a 7% pay offer is a pay cut with the real rate of inflation, RPI, at 12.3%.
Container News
Revving exports to US keeps India in race to become next China
India, believed by many to have the potential to become the next China, is finally making headway in the exports market as it broke into the top 5 suppliers of Christmas decorative items and t-shirts to the US.
Sea-borne shipments of festival goods and accessories to America touched $20 million last month, almost triple the value from the year-ago period, according to US customs data. In the process, India gained a clear lead over the Philippines as buyers diversify supply sources in the face of rising labor costs and disruptions from China’s strict Covid-zero policy.
AJOT
New empty container transportation center commences operations at Shanghai port
Shanghai Port Northeast Asia Empty Container Transportation Center has officially started operations at the port of Shanghai, the busiest container port in the world.
The new container facility covers an area of 450,000m² and has an annual handling box capacity of 3 million TEU.
Container News
US allows Trump-era China tariffs to continue pending review
The Biden administration will allow Trump-era tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese merchandise imports to continue while it reviews the need for the duties.
The tariffs will continue after the administration received a formal request from businesses benefiting from them, the Office of the US Trade Representative said in a statement Friday. It opened the window for comments in May, and got hundreds of requests for them to remain.
AJOT
UK’s new PM pledged expanded freeports and curbing labor actions
Liz Truss who became the UK’s new Prime Minister on Tuesday made promises during the hard-fought campaign that would have a significant impact on ports and the shipping community. Truss takes over a country facing industrial unrest and a sweeping energy crisis affecting households’ power bills. Most importantly, Truss’s win has rekindled a conversation about some of the promises she made to the UK shipping community during the campaign.
The Maritime Executive
Union chief Willie Adams steers a tough course through port labor negotiations
Willie Adams has the power to scuttle or sustain the U.S. supply-chain recovery, if he can keep his own union in line.
For the first time since he was elected president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in 2018, Mr. Adams is leading labor negotiations with the companies that run cargo-handling sites at West Coast ports that are the country’s main gateways for trade with Asia.
The Wall Street Journal
Russia sanctions: How can the world cope without its oil and gas?
A key Russian gas pipeline has remained closed, severely limiting supplies as European countries struggle with high energy prices.
Western countries are trying to cut their dependency on Russian oil and gas following the invasion of Ukraine in February.
BBC News
