Oslo Dockers in Limbo
Oslo dockers blocked the traffic in and out of the container terminal in Oslo port Monday, 22nd of June, demanding signing of a collective agreement with Turkish company Yilport.
About 60 workers are reported to have staged a strike only to be ordered to clear out by the local police. The order came despite the mediator’s authorization of the strike action.
The workers were employed by the Oslo Loading and Unloading Office, which went bankrupt in May. Even though their collective bargaining agreement is still valid, they had been denied access to the terminal where they should have resumed their work following the bankruptcy announcement.
Yilport refused to negotiate with the Nordic Transport Workers’ Federation (NTF), which promoted the workers to respond with a strike.
Some 250 people gathered outside the Oslo Port Authority office on Monday in support of the dock workers, criticizing the police action.
Yilport Holding, Yilport Oslo and the Port of Oslo signed the lease contract in October 2014, for the land and equipment of Port of Oslo’s Container Terminals. The agreement has a term of 20 years with an option for a 10-year extension.
World Maritime News Staff; Image: NTF
