Israel Shippers Council loses members in dock labour dispute

ISRAEL Shippers Council (ISC) chairman Gad Schaefer stands by his position to back carriers against striking dockers despite his loss of support from Israel Manufacturers Association and the Tel Aviv Chamber of Commerce.


Critics did not like ISC involvement in the "highly politicised" issue and say Mr Schaefer took the side of the ocean carriers, who had demanded more work from dockers for more pay, reports London's Containerisation International.


The Chamber of Commerce wanted to settle the dispute quickly, as did the government, but "work-to-rule settlements achieve nothing in the long-term, nor do they alleviate congestion", said Mr Schaefer in response to the membership withdrawals from the ISC.


"We may no longer have the support of either association, but we still have the support of many of their members. The Chamber of Commerce in Tel Aviv also does not speak for the country's other chambers, and it is interesting that it appears to be on its own regarding the efficiency of our organisation," he added.


Israel Manufacturers' Association chairman and Gama Aluminium managing directors said that management at the council should be restructured or replaced. "We no longer have any faith in the ISC's top management, so have decided to protect our members' transport interests directly."


Any changes needed to ports, services or container terminal handling, of which there are many, must go through Israel government which deals with the port reform legislation and that means dockers are able to manipulate the situation and block trade, Mr Schaefer said.
(Source:http://www.schednet.com)