BUENOS AIRES: The loading of grains ships in Argentina was temporarily halted on Monday by a 24-hour strike by grains inspectors demanding higher wages and shorter working hours, Martin Brindici, general manager of the country's private ports chamber, said on Monday.
The work stoppage, by the URGARA union, began at midnight.
"This measure generates economic losses for the sector and for the country. It makes operations more difficult and could generate breaches of international commercial commitments," Brindici said in a telephone interview.
September is a relatively slow month for grains shipping from Argentina, as soy and corn have both long been harvested and wheat collection has yet to begin.
A negotiating session to hammer out a deal that would allow the inspectors to return to work was scheduled for Tuesday among union leadership, private export company executives and representatives of Argentina's Labor Ministry.
The URGARA union, which represents inspectors who check the quality of grains before they are loaded onto ships, called on its workers to "cease all ... activity in ports throughout the country," in a statement released late Sunday.
URGARA's workers are critical to the operation of ports.
Argentina is the world's top supplier of soymeal livestock feed and a major exporter of corn, wheat and raw soybeans. Labor strikes are common in Argentina, where employers are hard-pressed to grant wage increases in line with high inflation.
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