Chilean fruit producer association Fedefruta says it is considering taking legal action to enable fruit shipments to pass through terminals paralysed by a series of strikes by port workers. President Cristián Allendes called on union leaders at the port of San Antonio – where workers have been on strike since 3 January – to end their illegal stoppage and resume operations immediately.
He warned that the Chilean fruit industry could lose another US$65m if the walkout at San Antonio continues through to Friday 17 January. With the Chinese New Year festivities fast approaching, shipments to Asia are set to rise considerably this weekend. Allendes said the longer the strike continued, the more critical the situation was becoming.
An estimated 1.5m cartons of fruit with a corresponding value of US$40m were compromised during the first week of the stoppage and Allendes warned that a further 2.5m cartons were in danger of being lost if the strike continued through a second week.
“With shipments during February reaching 6m cartons a week, we’re looking at potentially catastrophic losses for the sector, particularly given that production is down considerably this season due to the September freeze,” he said.
Allendes warned that the situation threatened not only the growers themselves, but also the jobs of workers at farms and packhouses and their families. He also called on the government and judicial authorities to restore order and put an end to the illegal strike.
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