Shipping at major Flemish ports has been disrupted after sea pilots and maritime traffic controllers extended their strike action on Tuesday. The Agency for Maritime Services and the Coast (MDK) says that the action has slowed down ship movements as only essential safety staff on have remained on duty.
Disruption to shipping as sea pilots and maritime traffic controllers take strike action
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On Tuesday morning 26 ships were waiting in the North Sea and 18 vessels were delayed in the ports of Antwerp and Ghent. At Zeebrugge (West Flanders), 4 ships were waiting to leave the port and 8 were waiting to enter.
The strike action began on Monday when members of the socialist trade union ACOD began a protest at the radar tower in Zeebrugge, from where maritime traffic is controlled. Sea pilots joined the strike from midnight.
In total, around 45 ships travelling to or from Antwerp and 26 ships in Zeebrugge are affected by delays.
The dispute centres on pension reforms. Maritime workers and unions say the changes proposed by the Federal Government could reduce pensions for workers in the sector by around 25%. Negotiations on pensions for sea piolots and martime traffic controllers have been ongoing for more than a year.
Despite the strike, the authorities say safety is still being guaranteed as a minimum number of staff have remained on duty to respond to emergencies.
The action is expected to continue until 7.30pm on Tuesday.