The six-week slowdown by Haifa port stevedores has caused damages totaling 1,000,000 pounds ($333,000) and has caused a drop of exports of 30 percent during May when exports had been expected to rise 10 percent, Haim Zadok, Commerce and Industry Minister said today.
The Minister gave this summary as the stevedores pointedly ignored a warning Sunday from the Histadrut, Israel’s labor federation, to end their slowdown within 24 hours or face sanctions. The Minister, urging the dockers to resume normal work schedules, said that the slowdown was causing danger of more joblessness.
Asserting also that exports of phosphates fell by two-thirds in May, the Minister revealed that many Israeli factories were beginning to suffer from shortages of raw materials. He also said that several exporters had reported they would have to cut production which will cause further unemployment.
Minister Zadok also warned that the slowdown was imperiling the opening of the Tel Aviv Fair scheduled to begin June 24. Several ships carrying exhibits for the fair are tied up in Haifa harbor, he said.
The port situation worsened yesterday with 50 ships tied up, half of them awaiting unloading. More and more shippers have abandoned the Haifa port and diverting Israel-bound cargoes to Cyprus or Piraeus to avoid the expensive wait in Haifa.
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