Tugboat strike hits Le Havre port amid separate strikes vs French port reforms

PARIS (Thomson Financial) - Operations at France's port of Le Havre were disrupted by a strike by employees of tugboat operator Abeilles, a unit of Spain's Boluda, who are protesting the port's go-ahead for a competing tugboat firm to operate without respecting a sectoral labour contract.

Inspectors from the Labour Ministry recently determined that the competitor, Societe Nouvelle de Remorquage du Havre (SNRH), a unit of Dutch firm Kotug, was not complying with the contract.

Abeilles has 10 tugs at Le Havre, and SNRH has five.

The tugboat strike is preventing large ships from moving within the port area. It coincides with separate strikes affecting Le Havre and other French ports by workers protesting planned liberalisation measures for port operators.

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