Ivory Coast Dockers' Strike May End Today, Union Says
June 15, 2009
A 14-day strike by dock workers at Ivory Coast's port of Abidjan may be resolved today, a spokesman for the dockers' union said.
"There will be a meeting between us dockers and Interior Minister Desiree Trago at 9:00 p.m. tonight," David Mousso, spokeman for the National Collective of Dockers, which represents 80 percent of workers at the port, said in an interview in the city today. "If we find a solution, we will go back to work instantly."
The strike by about 6,000 workers at the state-owned port has blocked imports and curbed exports from Ivory Coast, the world's largest cocoa producer, as well as from neighboring land-locked states. The workers are striking because of a pay dispute and to demand improved working conditions.
Earlier today, the striking workers clashed with police and riot squads over the hiring of untrained workers, the state- owned transportation company, Sotra, said.
