Three shipping lines of the Ain El-Sokhna port have warned the Dubai Ports World (DP World) company, which is working in El-Sokhna port, to reroute its ships to other ports in the Red sea in case of further strikes, said an official DP World source.
The three shipping lines represent around 90 per cent of the entire port, and their warning came after a partial strike that pushed the rate of container loading and unloading down to around four containers per hour instead of 22 per hour.
Workers at Ain El-Sokhna Port have been on strike since 9 September, because DP World refused to give risk bonuses, they also called for a wages re-structure and job upgrades.
“Losses of DP World exceeded EGP 30 million from the beginning of the strike till now, which is dangerous on the company investment volume in Egypt, as many other shipping lines have started already rerouting their ships away from El-Sokhna port,” said the source.
The source said resuming the strike will affect the national economy negatively, as the stoppage of port activity may drive a daily loss in customs revenue to EGP 10 million.
DP World has signed a contract with HAI company, which specializes in wages restructuring, to re-structure more than 60 ports owned by the company ,said the Source.
“Sources reported that a number of concerned parties from the ministries of labour and transport, along with Suez governorate officials, are looking to handle the crisis” Al-Masry Al-Youm Reported.
On a separate note, Youm 7 reported that DP World administration has instructed workers last Saturday to make its budget public, in order to avoid further controversy.
