A call to protect local port from paralizations

Date: 2013/03/28

A call to protect port of Iquique made the president of Local Board Maritime and Port Chairman of Chile, Rodrigo Garcia Aguila.

The executive said workers began a strike on March 16 in Port Angamos, Mejillones. The paralization is based on the half hour collation dockworkers wanted to include in the 7.5 hour shift, "at the beginning, middle or end of each shift."

He said companies of that region agreed to pay a bonus for the concept of collation. "Now workers make more demands, such as having a casino, among others, although many companies already have."

He stated that 19% of dockworkers joined Iquique and other cities in solidarity with Mejillones, while he stressed Angamos port applications were remedied and "now demand more, as reduce working day to 7 hours."

He assured Iquique port is seen as a conflicting one and in his point of view "To shipping companies this is a big problem and they prefer to take their cargo overland routes or through other ports." He added that there is a vessel berthed since Monday and vessels that were destined to Iquique went to other ports, adding that the impact is affecting the entire city, as downloading products by other sources, the cost is translated into higher prices " .

PORT: " ALL RESPONSIBILITY IS ENDORSE ON US."

The respective president and secretary of the union Nro.2 Iquique Terminal Internacional Jose Dupouy and Cesar Luna, were emphatic in stating that in the impact to Iquique port due to this paralization, employers endorse on us all responsibility in a matter that has to do with the government. "

This allusion to the approaches and opinions they have had with the government, because in their view they are workers from a discontinuous character, but "the government didn’t rule it like this."

They also said that monitoring by Customs to Bolivian cargoes influences many entrepreneurs of that country who prefer unloading the products by Arica . "Where they have more benefits, which has nothing to do with our mobilizations," adding that they will continue supporting paralization”.

Source: Diario 21