Asoex president Ronald Bown has called for a swift resolution to the public sector strikes that is affecting fruit shipments, claiming the action had been extended beyond what was reasonable timeframe. He said the walkout by the National Association of Customs Officials (ANEF) was causing “serious and grave disruptions” to the normal flow of fruit exports destined for different markets.
Bown said the situation was particularly worrying for air shipments and road freight being transported through the Andes to Argentina, as in both cases it was proving difficult to generate the necessary paperwork required by destination markets. Sea shipments were also being held up as ships were arriving in overseas ports without the required documentation to allow cargo to be released.
Anef, which represents 400,000 employees nationwide including customs workers, began a 72-hour strike on 25 November but voted to extend the strike into Friday as a satisfactory agreement had not been reached. The union is calling for an increase in public sector wages.
Bown pressed the government and unions to find an urgent resolution to the dispute and for normal operations to be resumed. He stressed that in addition to affecting Chile’s competitiveness, ongoing action would lead to a more widespread loss of confidence in Chilean companies amongst buyers in overseas markets, which would harm producers – in particular in the cherry and blueberry industries –wiping out a year’s worth of effort.
Bown also called for the Customs and Agriculture and Livestock departments (SAG) to reinstate emergency shifts to get exports flowing again.
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