French ports on track for privatization
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon says cargo handling operations at seven of the country's nine public ports are on course for privatisation.
“I have asked Dominique Bussereau (Junior Minister for Transport) to prepare a plan to re-launch the French public ports which should end in legislative measures,” said Fillon.
“First of all, we need to transfer the handling activities done by the ports to private operators,” he added.
According to a Reuters report, the shipping industry has been pressing the government to reform French ports to push for greater efficiency, but trade union opposition has delayed the process.
The Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) has opposed to the reforms and called several strikes last year.
Fillon has said he is aware of worries about job security and said that the authorities would be “very attentive to the situation of port workers.”
He said talks would take place 'port by port' with the aim of almost tripling container handling capacity at French ports by 2015. That would not impair employment but create some “30,000 jobs,” said Fillon.
According to Reuters, over the last 20 years Marseille, France's largest port, has dropped from first to 11th place in the Mediterranean for container trade, and is still losing market share.
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| Port privatization part of government reforms |
“First of all, we need to transfer the handling activities done by the ports to private operators,” he added.
According to a Reuters report, the shipping industry has been pressing the government to reform French ports to push for greater efficiency, but trade union opposition has delayed the process.
The Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) has opposed to the reforms and called several strikes last year.
Fillon has said he is aware of worries about job security and said that the authorities would be “very attentive to the situation of port workers.”
He said talks would take place 'port by port' with the aim of almost tripling container handling capacity at French ports by 2015. That would not impair employment but create some “30,000 jobs,” said Fillon.
According to Reuters, over the last 20 years Marseille, France's largest port, has dropped from first to 11th place in the Mediterranean for container trade, and is still losing market share.
Cowan Thant Zin | Tue Jan 15 07:49 GMT 2008