Strike threat

Nearly 20,000 workers at 12 major Indian ports had threatened an indefinite strike starting August 28. On August 26, a planned strike at several Indian ports was averted hours before the action was due to begin. 

Government officials and representatives of the Confederation of Indian Workers' Unions came closer to a deal on pay and pension benefits and agreed to postpone the strike. "The national indefinite strike initiated by the six Ports and dockworkers' Unions, originally scheduled for August 28, has been postponed due to the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the President of the Indian Ports Association, the Managing Director of the IPA and representatives of the six federations," the joint statement said. 

While planned strikes at India's major ports have been postponed, the shipping industry has had to prepare for a new wave of strikes at other ports. 

According to foreign media reports, the German trade union ver.di has rejected the collective agreement proposal put forward by the Central Association of German Port Operators (ZDS), which has left several ports facing the threat of strikes. As the contract between ZDS and its employees expires this year, a number of warning strikes have been held in Hamburg, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven, Brekke and Emden ports.

In addition, with the East American International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) contract set to expire on September 30, ports in the East and Gulf Coast of the United States may also begin a strike on October 1.