Union: Rotterdam Port strikes likely in December, January

There is a good chance that workers in the port of Rotterdam will be striking in December in January, union FNV Havens told RTV Rijnmond on Monday. About 850 port employees met in Spijkenisse on Monday to vote on the strikes, FNV spokesperson Niek Stam said to the broadcaster. Almost every one of them voted for the actions. The action committee will discuss the how and when of the strikes next week, though two batches of three day strikes seem likely. "The port will be brought to a standstill" Stam said. The actions are the result of an ongoing labor dispute over job security. According to Stam, the union wants job security for its members for the next nine years. This plan will cost a total of 53 million euros, money the Port Authority is refusing to put on the table. Stam also told broadcaster that the Port Authority and the port employers are "conspiring" to destroy the union. "They're smelling blood. We are on the eve of the exodus of older dockworkers. And now they want to once get rid of the big mouths demanding job security. Well, we won't stand for that."