France Upgrades Its Ports

As the effort to privatize French port operations moves ahead, so do infrastructure improvements.

Labor difficulties arose after the government announced its intentions of privatizing container-handling operations at the country’s ports in January 2008. Some months of labor actions were undertaken that effectively disrupted trade. Finally, after unions received assurances from new employers that they would receive the same working conditions in private hands that they had previously. While other workers have been employees of private stevedores for more than 15 years, maintenance personnel and crane operators had continued to be employed by the government, under the port authorities.

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