Bruce Barnard, Special Correspondent | Feb 22, 2012 12:39PM EST
Dock workers on Wednesday suspended a three-week campaign of rolling wildcat strikes at APM Terminals container facility in Rotterdam that seriously disrupted shipping at Europe’s largest container hub.
The labor action, which forced some ships to divert to the neighboring port of Antwerp, was called off after unions and APM Terminals reached agreement on a new wage contract. The agreement will be put to a vote by some 700 dockers Tuesdsay.
APM Terminals has compromised on union demands that it compensates older dockers affected by the Dutch government’s pension reform that extends the national retirement age from 65 to 67.
The A.P. Moller-Maersk Group subsidiary, which handles around 2.4 million 20-foot equivalent units annually in Rotterdam, called on its workforce to increase productivity following the new 27-month wage contract.
-- Contact Bruce Barnard at brucebarnard47@hotmail.com.