PNP Concerned About Effects of US Dockworker Strike on Jamaica

Opposition Spokesman on Investment, Trade and Global Logistics, Anthony Hylton, is expressing concern about the potential fallout for Jamaica from the large-scale work stoppage at dozens of ports on the East and Gulf coasts in the US.

More than 45,000 dockworkers walked off the job at midnight, shutting down 14 major ports from Maine to Texas and halting half of the nation’s ocean shipping.

The strike, said to be the first large-scale stoppage by dockworkers in nearly 50 years, comes after negotiations for a new labour contract broke down over wages.

It blocks everything from food to automobile shipments.

Mr Hylton says the impact is expected to be felt in Jamaica, whose largest trading partner is the US.

Analysts warn that the strike will cost the US economy billions of dollars a day, threaten jobs and potentially stoke inflation.

Mr. Hylton is calling on the government and private sector to implement contingency plans to mitigate any potential impact.

Anthony Hylton, Opposition Spokesman on Investment, Trade and Global Logistics.