Shipping Backlog Eases with Tentative Settlement in Rotterdam Strike

The backlog of shipping that was created in Northern Europe due to a strike by lashers in Rotterdam and a slowdown by Belgian marine pilots is expected to ease in the coming days. The unions representing the container lashers working at Rotterdam’s main container terminals report that they have reached a settlement over wages, while the Belgian pilots continue to work after pausing their job action.

Members of the unions representing the lashers voted overwhelmingly to suspend the strike after news was reached of a tentative agreement. The lashers had threatened to resume their strike today, Friday, October 17, if there was no progress in the negotiations. A court ordered the lashers back to work on Monday, October 13, after they had walked off the job on October 8. The court had said the strike could resume at the end of this week if the negotiations did not succeed.

Union leaders report they won an agreement that calls for 17 to 20 percent wage increases over the next three years, with automatic inflation compensation in 2025 and 2026. The employers will also establish two funds to improve working conditions. A final vote on the contract will happen within the next three weeks.

The Port of Rotterdam said on Monday that 33 vessels, including 15 deep-sea containerships, were waiting in the anchorages. Container movements had been suspended because the trained workers are required to release and secure the containers during port operations.

A larger backlog developed in Belgium, where the sea pilots began a job slowdown on October 5 to protest government pensions reforms. By Wednesday, October 15, the reports said as many as 200 vessels were being delayed at Antwerp, as well as Zeebrugge and Ghent. S&P Global Commodities reported that deliveries of jet fuel and diesel for Northern Europe handled at Antwerp were being impacted. Media reports said approximately 20 containerships had also bypassed scheduled calls at terminals in Antwerp due to the job action.

While the unions said they would suspend the slowdown, some pilots are reportedly still taking their maximum rest period of 12 hours. The backlog of ships was declining, with reports that it was down to 116 on Thursday, but could have been cleared quicker if all the pilots had returned to normal work schedules.

Belgian officials are saying they are confident the backlog can be fully cleared by Sunday or Monday. However, hanging over the situation is a demand by the unions that they see progress from the government on their demands regarding the pension reforms. In June, a framework had been agreed upon with a target of completing all the terms by November. The unions have said they would resume job actions at the end of next week, on October 24, if the government has not engaged in serious discussions about pensions for the pilots and their demand that the pilots receive similar treatment to other government employees.