Operations at major French ports were at a standstill this morning as workers began a new round of strike action, lasting until Monday.

Members of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) union announced the strike following the collapse of Monday’s talks with the government over its plans to transfer workers to the private sector.

Dockers and crane drivers at Le Havre, Marseilles Fos sur Mer, Montoir and Brest walked out at 6am and have vowed not to return to work until 6am on Monday.

The world’s largest carrier, Maersk Line, said it was still waiting to hear whether workers at the port of Rouen would join the industrial action.

But operations at Dunkirk should be unaffected, as workers there have already transferred into the private sector.

The strike will halt all water operations at the ports and all port gates are closed for container drop-offs and pick-ups. However, on Friday gates will open for 24 hours.

Maersk advised its customers to contact the line’s customer service agents if they had any questions.

Hapag Lloyd said: “The congestion at Fos resulting from the labour stoppages of local port workers is causing major disruption in our schedules and port calls.”

Many of its vessels are omitting calls at Fos and are discharging cargo in Genoa instead.

Last weekend, port operations at Le Havre and Marseilles were disrupted when CGT members staged weekend walk-outs. They followed strikes at ports across France last week that also disrupted container handling.

The continual strike action over the past 12 months has led to fears for the reputation of French ports.

In a latter to IFW, Ummo Bruns, Port Representative for the West Ports at Deutsche Bahn, said: “The CGT has the right to strike for a good cause.

“But in my opinion, the French ports will lose their credibility on the Mediterranean and North Sea coast if the workers strike on a regular basis.

“Shipowners will not be pleased with the present developments. If France is interested in keeping up with the pace of the ports in the Rhine Scheldt Delta, they must move quickly.”