Toamasina’s harbor: strikers are threatening to close the harbor

Not a shadow of appeasement is in sight in Toamasina’s harbor. Workers previously fired by the MICTSL company joined the movement on Friday, October 1st 2010, a movement basically ignited by the Trade Chamber, the SMMC company and the harbor’s dockers. The striking ranks have now grown. Many workers’ trade unions are basically requiring the MICTSL company out of the harbor since this company is allegedly claiming the lion’s share of the harbor’s market. The protests’ second incentive is this company’s alleged violations of its workers’ rights, namely dismissals without notice. The concerned company is still in place, and none of its fired employees have yet recovered their jobs. The Trade Chamber is requiring  the recovery of whatever container left unclaimed 15 days after their arrivals, a prerogative apparently violated by MICTSL. The SMMC company is, as far as it is concerned, complaining about the exportation of chromium exclusively completed by MICTSL for being the single company owning containers to this end. The whole issue has already been addressed to the Eastern Region’s chief, without reaching any conclusive result. Both trade and transportation ministers equally strained to contribute to the talks, without meeting any success. The situation is far from improving, indeed since the striking unions made public on October 4th that they would completely seal the harbor up to the recovery of a satisfying solution. The official announcement was communicated to MadOnline and read as following: 

announcement 

« As a next step in the striking movement operated by unions from the Trade Chamber, the SMMC company and dockers, against the MICTSL company, we are declaring that we fully support the MICTSL company’s workers’ strike, incentives of which are connected to ours. Both movements will be carried on as one for lack of solution from the leading authorities. However, the strike is dimmed to become general from next Monday on, the harbor will be closed. On this account, whoever intending to resort to the harbor’s services will have to give the idea up. May this announcement serve as an official notice. The united trade unions from the Trade Chamber, SMCC and the Dockers