Strikes in France Escalate

The political disruptions in France continue to get worse and worse as the month creeps closer to the Christmas holiday. On Wednesday, France's Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe, made a statement declaring that the country's people should work two years longer to get a full pension, which drew a hostile response from the trade unions. Following the statement, the unions said they would step up strike action in order to force a change in the government's ideology. 

Next week looks to be a chaotic week for strikes with one confirmed on Tuesday, December 17th, and another potentially scheduled for Thursday, December 19th. Several truckers have been forced to cancel bookings and some vessels have had to cancel calls to French ports due to the strikes. 

The strike disruption is causing major delays for inbound and outbound cargo at French ports, and some delays and backlog is expected in the upcoming weeks. Please contact your freight forwarder if you are concerned about specific shipments. 

As always, we will keep you updated on this situation, and please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns