Strike in Poland enters sixth day

A strike at the Baltic Container Terminal in Gdynia, Poland has entered its sixth day Wednesday.

The terminal is operated by Philippines port operator International Container Terminal Services (ICTS) and according to the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) handles most of Poland's maritime container cargo and is the southern Baltic Sea region's largest container port.

The ITF said more than 500 workers represented by the ITF-affiliated Polish unions began indefinite strike action on March 20 in a dispute over pay. Workers rejected an offer of a 5 percent increase made by management during negotiations in January and instead are asking for 12 percent.

They are also demanding what they say is a violation of safety at work regulations; the restoration of double staffing on traveling cranes and in cool containers for safety reasons, and allowing technical support employees to carry out overtime rather than outsource the work.

Thomson Financial reports that CLSA Securities has downgraded its rating on ICTS to sell from buy to reflect its lowered earnings forecasts. CLSA is expressing caution about the terminal company's earnings outlook, believing the labor dispute could hurt its bottom line. The Polish terminal accounts for about 16 percent of ICTS's revenue, Thomson said. 

Source: American Shipper