DOCKERS in Canada and the US are in festering disputes that could lead to further supply chain disruptions in the coming year, reports IHS Media.
Longshore labour disputes are flaring up with conflict building on multiple fronts that stands to disrupt cargo flow and result in supply chain chaos next year.
The latest strike in Montreal ended recently. It is one of many growing disputes focused on the use of non-union labour to load ships, and similar issues are simmering at the Port of Charleston and other southeastern ports.
At the core of the discord is the so-called hybrid system at the ports of Charleston, Savannah, and Wilmington, in which non-unionised state employees operate cranes and yard equipment, jobs the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) would like to see unionised.
But such disputes could be considered minor if ranged against the looming confrontation over terminal automation when negotiations begin on a new US west coast contract early next year.
The scenarios are not directly related to each other, nor do they suggest any trend toward greater longshore labour conflict in the near future, said IHS Media.
But problems in the southeast and on the west coast are influenced by the presence of a labour-friendly White House that will likely support unions in conflicts with management, said the report.
The logistics director of a major exporter called the developments in both countries 'a step in the wrong direction'.
The situation in Montreal, which escalated into a strike by 1,000 dockers, has been festering since a series of work stoppages last August that were never truly resolved and only served to illustrate the wide gap between the positions of labour and management regarding work rules.
Canada's Labour Minister said she would introduce back-to-work legislation and that legislation was passed, ending the latest strike.
Make no mistake, damage has been done. A 10 per cent year on year decline in throughput at Montreal in March shows the port is losing cargo at a time of a prolonged import surge through other North American ports.
The issues in the US southeast, which have not resulted in labour actions to disrupt cargo, have nevertheless quickly escalated into the most significant longshore labour conflict on the east coast in years.
SeaNews Turkey
Longshore labour disputes are flaring up with conflict building on multiple fronts that stands to disrupt cargo flow and result in supply chain chaos next year.
The latest strike in Montreal ended recently. It is one of many growing disputes focused on the use of non-union labour to load ships, and similar issues are simmering at the Port of Charleston and other southeastern ports.
At the core of the discord is the so-called hybrid system at the ports of Charleston, Savannah, and Wilmington, in which non-unionised state employees operate cranes and yard equipment, jobs the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) would like to see unionised.
But such disputes could be considered minor if ranged against the looming confrontation over terminal automation when negotiations begin on a new US west coast contract early next year.
The scenarios are not directly related to each other, nor do they suggest any trend toward greater longshore labour conflict in the near future, said IHS Media.
But problems in the southeast and on the west coast are influenced by the presence of a labour-friendly White House that will likely support unions in conflicts with management, said the report.
The logistics director of a major exporter called the developments in both countries 'a step in the wrong direction'.
The situation in Montreal, which escalated into a strike by 1,000 dockers, has been festering since a series of work stoppages last August that were never truly resolved and only served to illustrate the wide gap between the positions of labour and management regarding work rules.
Canada's Labour Minister said she would introduce back-to-work legislation and that legislation was passed, ending the latest strike.
Make no mistake, damage has been done. A 10 per cent year on year decline in throughput at Montreal in March shows the port is losing cargo at a time of a prolonged import surge through other North American ports.
The issues in the US southeast, which have not resulted in labour actions to disrupt cargo, have nevertheless quickly escalated into the most significant longshore labour conflict on the east coast in years.
SeaNews Turkey