Dockworkers at the ports of Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Zeeland went on strike on Friday, 4 September, with members of the FNV Havens union holding an eight-hour work stoppage from 11:15 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The action is in protest against the Dutch government’s proposed social security plans.
The stoppage is causing longer waiting times on the water and on the road, according to the Port of Rotterdam Authority.
The precise impact on the port is difficult to predict, said a spokesperson for Deltalinqs, the association representing companies in the Port of Rotterdam. “But it is evident that backlogs will develop and matters will pile up.”
According to WorldCargo News’ sister publication Schuttevaer, the Dutch transport and logistics trade association (TLN) also expects significantly higher activity in the port both before the stoppage and in the hours afterwards.
ECT Rotterdam expects it will take at least several days to clear the backlog at its container terminals, a company spokesperson told Nieuwsblad Transport.
FNV is protesting against proposed government cuts of €6.5 billion to social security, including changes to unemployment and disability benefits. The union expects hundreds of dockworkers to gather at the strike site in the Port of Rotterdam.
The port strike is part of a wider series of union actions. On Wednesday, 9 September, almost no trains are expected to run due to a nationwide public transport strike. The unions are calling on the Dutch cabinet to scrap the proposed cuts to social security.
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