Uruguay
The Uruguayan government set minimum services at the port and TCP questions the scope of the measure
The resolution seeks to ensure operations at Montevideo’s container terminal amid the union conflict. At the company, they believe it comes too late and view it as a disguised form of essential service designation.
The conflict at the port of Montevideo added a new chapter with a resolution from the Executive Branch that established minimum operating conditions to guarantee operations at the specialized container dock operated by Terminal Cuenca del Plata (TCP).
According to El País, the decision was adopted by the ministries of Labor and of Transport and Public Works after legal consultations on the viability of declaring the port sector essential, an activity that is not among those considered essential by the International Labour Organization.
The measure was officially defined as temporary and limited, and aims to set the minimum services that must be ensured at the terminal. Minister Lucía Etcheverry said it is not a declaration of essential service, but a different logic, since, as she explained, aspects linked to safety, life or health are not at stake.
According to El País, at TCP and its majority partner, Katoen Natie, the resolution was received with discontent. Fernando Correa, the company’s Institutional Relations manager, told that outlet that the company interprets it as a “watered-down essential service” and questioned that it does not include oversight mechanisms to ensure compliance in the face of possible new union actions.
The company also believes the official response came late. The background to the conflict remains the negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement, which includes, among other points, the discussion over a new number of guaranteed minimum workdays for workers.
Meanwhile, talks held in recent days at the Ministry of Labor did not produce substantive progress, although this week the Sindicato Único Portuario y Ramas Afines was not carrying out protest measures, El País reported.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with assistance from artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
