A 24-hour strike by stevedores at the Peruvian port of Callao has resulted in “important” losses for the country’s economy according to the association of port operators ASPPOR. It has accused workers of making “strange” and “unreasonable” demands, including the waving of sanctions for failing to turn up for work at weekends, and the right to hand pick workers based on their union affiliation rather than expertise.
ASPPOR warned that the unions were holding the country’s export industry to ransom and said the action – the latest in a series of strikes to be called at the port in the last two years – threatened to derail exports and deter much-needed foreign investment in port infrastructure.
In March, APM announced a US$307m project to modernise the port, the biggest port on South America’s west coast, allowing it to serve the largest ships and cutting transit times to markets such as China. APM said it aimed to transform Muelle Norte into a powerful economic generator for Peru and to develop a world-class full-service port and infrastructure in the region.
