Unionized employees at ZIM Integrated Shipping Services have escalated their industrial action to a full strike, effectively halting operations across the company. The walkout follows the confirmation of a planned $4.2 billion sale to Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd and Israel’s FIMI Opportunity Fund.
Haifa and Ashdod Impact Initially starting as a warning strike on Sunday, the action intensified on Tuesday. Approximately 800 unionized employees (out of a workforce of roughly 1,000) have ceased work.
- Vessel Operations: Loading and unloading have stopped at the key ports of Ashdod and Haifa.
- Cargo Impact: Specialized ships carrying agricultural cargo and vessels already alongside are not being discharged.
“We have stopped some vessels… and we will not let the company work on those ships until they talk with us,” union leader Ziva Lainer Schkolnik told Reuters. “They will not receive a functioning company without proper guarantees.”
The primary driver of the strike is job security. Under the proposed deal structure, Hapag-Lloyd would acquire ZIM, while its Israeli operations would be carved out into a separate entity controlled by FIMI, dubbed “New ZIM.”
Union chairman Oren Caspi stated that employees were informed that only around 120 staff would be retained by this new entity. This leaves approximately 900 workers many with tenure protections facing potential redundancy.
This escalation comes just days after reports confirmed that Hapag-Lloyd was in advanced talks to acquire ZIM.