Are risks of longshore labor disruption in Europe rising?

Dockworker strikes have hit ports in France and Portugal recently. The Swedish Dockworkers’ Union launched a 24-hour strike at APM Terminals in Gothenburg on April 26. Dockworkers in Rotterdam, Europe’s largest port, staged a 24-hour walkout on Jan. 7-8, the port’s first strike in 13 years. They were protesting job losses at the port’s new highly automated terminals, with overcapacity at the port and a slowdown in trade from Asia being contributing factors that the Dutch longshore union FNV Havens reacted to. The European Transport Workers Federation (ETF), the BTB of Belgium, Ver.di of Germany and the CGT of France, as well as the International Transport Workers Federation supported the actions. Marseilles-Fos says one reason it’s growing faster than the average rate of growth at all European ports is because its labor disruption is a thing of the past. What’s causing these issues? What’s agitating the dockworkers, and where will this lead in the coming months and years? As shippers learned during the U.S. West Coast port labor disruption in late 2014 and early 2015, port disruption can have a significant impact on container supply chains. For retailers, manufacturers, energy producers and agribusiness, the impact can be costly, but a greater understanding of the current state of play in longshore labor politics, motivations and dynamics can lead to a better grasp on of supply chain risk. We will discuss these issues at length at a session at the JOC Container Trade Europe conference in Hamburg on Sept. 13-14. Link to full information is here: https://events.joc.com/hamburg2016/