By Hassan Ghonema
Ten days after operations at the Sokhna Port came to a halt after a strike, the workers of Dubai Ports World (DPW) have accepted an agreement that will allow the port to reopen. After the diverting of several shipping lines in this key port, two advisers of the office of the presidency intervened.
DPW will act to load and unload Chinese and Swiss ships which have been stuck in the port since the strike began, allowing them to leave within 24 hours.
The president’s representatives held negotiations with all parties on Wednesday, in the presence of the governor of Suez, the director of security, and representatives from DPW and the port workers.
The meeting was held to find urgent solutions to allow for the re-opening of the port and to solve the crisis over the dismissal of port eight workers.
Chairman of the trade union, Mohamed Kamel, who confirmed the agreement, considered it a new page in relations with the port authority.
DPW agreed to develop a timetable for the restructuring of employment and a legal investigation into the eight employees who the union claim were wrongfully dismissed. The company also agreed that the workers were entitled to 10 percent of profits.
Mohamed Fouad, asked the two parties to create a joint press conference to demonstrate the unified message that had come out of the meetings.
The governor decided to form a standing committee to resolve future problems between workers and management at the Sokhna Port, in an effort to establish mutual respect between the two sides to ameliorate possible future problems.
