Wildcat strikes end at ECT Rotterdam

The Port of Rotterdam has reported that workers at European Container Terminals’ three Rotterdam terminals resumed work yesterday evening, ending two days of wildcat strikes that almost brought container movement to a grinding halt.Strikes began on Sunday night at the Waalhaven and Eemhaven terminals, and spilled over to the Delta terminal on the Maasvlakte on Monday.The dispute was reportedly over reduced working hours and shift switches, although ECT president Jan Westerhoud stated that the company had reached agreement with the unions and workers’ council regarding flexible work schedules.While union officials involved in negotiating the proposal with ECT said that they had not approved the strike, they admitted that they were effectively powerless to stop it.Westerhoud expressed his concern about reputation damage to the port of Rotterdam.This sentiment was echoed by the Port of Rotterdam Authority executive board, who issued a statement on Tuesday calling on those involved to end the wildcat strike as soon as possible, since it was detrimental to the image of Rotterdam as a container port, especially since it was recovering very well from disruptions earlier this year.