• 2 min de lectura
• 2 min de lectura
The Ministries of Labor and Social Security and of Transport and Public Works of Uruguay have temporarily and restrictively established essential minimum services to preserve the safety and operational continuity of the Specialized Container Terminal of the Port of Montevideo. This comes amidst the collective conflict between Terminal Cuenca del Plata S.A. and the Single Port and Related Branches Union (SUPRA).
The resolution, signed by Uruguayan Ministers of Labor, Juan Castillo, and Transport, Lucía Etcheverry, states that the union actions carried out during the conflict have affected the normal functioning of the country's only specialized container terminal, and this situation jeopardizes a service of transcendental importance due to its impact on national production and foreign trade.
In this context, and after the parties failed to reach an agreement on the determination of minimum services, the Uruguayan Executive Branch established the essential provisions to ensure a basic level of operation, seeking to reconcile operational continuity with the exercise of union freedom and the protection of the workers involved.
The minimum services include the loading and unloading of vessels, the reception of full and empty containers —for import and export operations— and storage and warehousing services. For reception by road transport, a minimum of 25 containers per hour must be guaranteed.
Likewise, a minimum staffing level is established according to the different areas of the terminal, and the full operation of services related to refrigerated containers, perishable products, or sanitarily sensitive materials must be guaranteed.
The National Director of Labor, Marcela Barrios, explained that the established minimum services will be applied if the union implements measures that affect operations. At the same time, she noted that activity at the terminal is currently proceeding normally and emphasized that the Executive Branch's objective continues to be to reach a solution to the conflict through negotiation.
In this regard, the official reported that conversations between the parties will resume next Monday, while over the weekend the Ministry will continue to conduct consultations and efforts aimed at bringing positions closer.
The measure comes into effect at 00:00 on September 12, 2026, and will remain in force until another administrative act orders its cessation. The resolution establishes that it is a special and temporary regime, applicable exclusively to the situation covered by the resolution.
