It is reported that the Canadian Railway Union has issued a strike notice to Pacific Kansas City Railway Company (CPKC) on August 18, and it is expected that about 3300 union representatives of the company's railway workers will stop working from 00:01 on Thursday, August 22, 2024, unless a new agreement can be signed between the two parties. In response, CPKC stated that all union workers will be suspended from work starting from Thursday
At the same time, Canadian Railways (CN) has also informed unions that unless a new labor agreement can be reached between the two parties or the union agrees to mandatory arbitration, the company will begin suspending work for approximately 6000 union representatives of railway workers starting on Thursday.
The threat of railway strikes will directly affect Canadian ports, which handle a large volume of multimodal cargo entering the United States. The British Columbia Chamber of Shipping reported that market share from Vancouver Port to other West Coast ports has begun to decline. And about two-thirds of the port's throughput needs to be transported by railway
American freight forwarding company C H. Robinson announced on Monday that due to the imminent threat of a railway strike, the company is transferring some of its American customers' sea freight from Canadian ports. The company said that approximately 80% of the transferred customer goods are now exported through the ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, while the rest are exported through the ports of Seattle/Tacoma. In addition, the company emphasized that if CN and CPKC both shut down, the gateway port would be paralyzed.
Shipping giant Maersk has issued a reminder on its official website regarding the Canadian railway workers' strike and stated that it will continue to accept bookings for round-trip travel to Canada, including sea, rail, truck, and air freight.
Australian port workers strike
Not only Canada, but also Australia has recently been caught in a tense atmosphere of worker strikes. Port workers at one of Australia's busiest ports, Fremantle, began a 48 hour strike on the morning of August 18th. Although the strike has ended, a new crisis is looming. The Fremantle Port Authority announced that it has received notice of further strikes at the port as a continuation of the August 18th strike. The new strike will last for 48 hours, starting at 05:30 local time on Sunday, August 25th.
Fremantle Port is the larger and busiest cargo port in Western Australia, and it is expected that this strike will significantly delay the transportation of goods in and out of the port. The Fremantle Port Authority has planned to further negotiate with the maritime services negotiation team in an attempt to reach an agreement before the next round of strike action begins. The Port Authority hopes to engage in sincere dialogue with unions to find a solution and avoid further interruptions.
Nigeria Labor Congress Strike
In addition, according to foreign media reports, the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) has also announced plans for a nationwide strike and protest starting from 00:01 on August 21.
The strike is expected to disrupt various industries, including transportation, utilities, government services, commercial operations, and healthcare. Protests may occur along major roads, near government buildings, and transportation hubs such as ports.
Reminder: If there are shipments to the above-mentioned shippers and freight forwarders in the near future, it is necessary to keep abreast of local port dynamics, pay attention to cargo node information, and adjust plans based on the latest transportation situation to avoid unnecessary losses.
Source: SouHang Network
