Truckers at the Port of Oakland in the West of the United States went on strike this week, following a strike last week at the Ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, blocking truck traffic at three terminals there.
Britain’s 40,000 rail workers have also announced three strikes, with most trains facing a halt. Mr Maliki yesterday warned of major disruption to the entire UK rail network.
Truckers strike at Oakland Port
An estimated 400 truckers managed to block truck traffic at three terminals in Oakland on Monday to protest California’s controversial trucker-related law known as AB5.
Protesters gathered on foot to prevent company trucks from entering the dock. By 8 a.m. local time Monday, striking truckers had successfully blocked the east and west gates of Oakland’s SSA terminal. While the terminal briefly opened its back door to let company trucks in, truck drivers then blocked the access as well, forcing some company drivers to turn around and leave the port, with plans to try again on Tuesday.
On Monday afternoon local time, the Port of Oakland’s SSA, TraPac and Everport terminals announced there would be no night shifts as protesting truckers allowed only about two company trucks per hour to enter the terminal gates throughout the day. On a typical weekday, an average of 250 trucks will pass through the terminal every hour.
Attention! Truckers are striking to block access to the docks, 40,000 rail workers are planning three strikes and shipping companies are warning
Kimberly Sulsar-Campos, vice president of Auckland-based Iraheta Bros Trucking, said some truckers were hoping to protest again on Tuesday. Although the protest was originally planned for three days, on Friday nearly 200 port drivers decided to hold it in one day. But he also said there was no official announcement that the AB5 protests would continue for another two days.
As previously reported, truck drivers in the Port of Oakland are striking because a California law called AB5 is set to take effect, which aims to limit the use of independent operators and largely reclassify drivers as hired workers. Most truckers in the state want to remain independent operators rather than become employee drivers.
It is understood that the port of Auckland was already jammed before the strike. Heavy import cargoes and ship operations lead to delays in berthing ships at Auckland port, with waiting times ranging from 7 to 31 days and average delivery times of import boxes being 9 days.
Three strikes are planned by British rail workers
The Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union (RMT) has announced plans for strikes on July 27, August 18 and August 20, which are expected to cause major disruption to Britain’s rail network.
Some 40,000 MEMBERS of the RMT union, including network rail signalmen and train staff, will join the strike in a row, local media reported. The 40,000 RMT union members include about 20,000 workers at Rail and 14 train operating companies.
Last month, the union staged a three-day strike that plunged the country’s rail network into its biggest transport strike in 30 years, disrupting 80 per cent of services.
On July 18, Maersk issued notice of a planned strike by the British Rail Union, saying it would cause significant disruption across the UK rail network and that it was working closely with rail freight operators to understand the overall impact this would have on inland operations.
Attention! Truckers are striking to block access to the docks, 40,000 rail workers are planning three strikes and shipping companies are warning
Separately, train drivers at eight British rail companies have agreed to a separate strike over pay on July 30.
As for the RMT strike, local reports said union leaders had rejected SNBT’s offer of a “paltry” 4 per cent pay rise, a further 2 per cent next year and a further 2 per cent in return for meeting modernisation milestones. They are demanding pay rises in line with Britain’s inflation rate of nearly 10 per cent.
Mick Lynch, director general of the RMT union, said: “SnRAIL’s offer is in effect a pay cut for our members. The rail companies are still digging in their heels, refusing to make any new proposals on job security or pay. Strike action is the only way we can make clear to the rail industry and the government how long this dispute will continue until a negotiated settlement can be reached.”
