Shippers get abusive as Durban delays escalate

FOLLOWING ANOTHER two days of strikes last week, delays have escalated to 148 hours at Durban's container terminal, with a daily average of about 12 container ships lined up outside waiting for their turn to enter. Despite the return to work on Thursday 28 May go-slows are set to continue, according to Portnet workers to whom FTW spoke this week.
The issue continues to revolve around the withdrawal of a non-incentive bonus of R500. The latest strike involved only three of the trade unions representing some 25% of the work force, but was sufficient to cause a major disruption to schedules, despite Portnet claims of only a minimal effect on port operations. Various shipping lines have confirmed delays of between 5 and 6 days (MSC), 149 hours (Evergreen), and a lengthy 12 days for one Nantai vessel.
It seems as though Portnet wants to put its head in the sand and hope the problem will go away, one shipping line representative told FTW.
Whatever the cause of the problem, we want them to find a solution.
Things can't go on as they are. We don't get replies to our faxes to senior management at their head office and there are limits to what the Durban local management can do. In the meanwhile we shipping lines are left carrying the expense and are taking abusive calls from the shippers.
A further claim surfaced among disgruntled Portnet workers last week. They maintain that the R500 bonus originates from an agreement between shipping line associations and Portnet, which was made a number of years ago. They claim that a tariff in the Portis internal tariff book (Shift Working Gang Charge) was used for this purpose. This, they maintain, is still in use today although disguised under category 61631 in the current Portis tariff book and 'Other Cargo' (EOHP) in Section 9.8 of the Client tariff book.
FTW canvassed several of the old hands among the ships' agents. Some recalled such an agreement but said they didn't remember anything specific about it and thought it unlikely to be still in use. Not so, says our source. It's still there, but shippers just don't realise they have been and still are paying for our bonuses, except we are no longer receiving them.
Port manager Bax Nomvete confirmed having heard this latest claim, but said he doubted there was any foundation in it. It seems very unlikely that we would ever have had such an agreement with our clients, but even if we once did it is certainly not still in effect.
Nomvete told FTW that Portnet was back at full strength with ten gantry cranes at work at the container terminal on Friday (29 May). Today there are fourteen ships outside awaiting berths, he said, and another five waiting for orders with five waiting for unspecified reasons. We had 70% of our staff at work during the two-day strike and all staff are now back on duty, although we expect some work-to-rule to apply.
A number of ships have been rerouted to other ports, although these are also affected by the work stoppage and go-slows among skilled workers.
Salstaff (Salaried Staff Association), the Technical Workers' Union, and the Employees' Union of SA, representing largely skilled workers, have rejected Portnet's offer to negotiate. The numerically stronger SARHWU (South African Railways and Harbours Union) and Black Trade Union members have agreed to negotiate and have remained at work.
Meanwhile, East London accepted its first deep-sea container ship in port during last week to offload boxes. NYK diverted the Iwashiro to the port after it became clear that delays at Durban were inevitable. East London has not been affected by the strike.
BY TERRY HUTSON