Peruvian dock strike continues as both sides dig in
San Francisco: The ongoing labour strike at Peru’s major seaport, Callao, showed no signs of abating on Friday as dockworkers marched through the main streets of the city to draw attention to their complaints.
At issue are plans by port management to introduce an electronic rostering system. The unionised workers, members of the Union of Maritime and Port Workers of the Port of Callao (Sturamporpc) are demanding delays to, or abandonment of, implementation of the new system.
According to terminal management firm APMT the union does not want the existing paper-based system to be replaced because it has allowed union leaders to control worker allocation at the general cargo terminal.
For its part Sturamporpc maintains APMT has refused to negotiate with its members over claims for fair pay and accuses the company of acting illegally by using workers who lack expertise and are therefore not authorised to unload at port.
The strike, which began on May 13, has the backing of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).