In brief
- On 11 July 2019, Somaliland Standard reported that construction workers at the Berbera port expansion went on strike on Thursday, citing reduced daily wages.
- Workers also claimed foreign blue-collar recruitment put their jobs at risk and protested against unnamed local firms that signed a deal with Dubai Ports World.
- The report records no employer, port authority or government response and does not establish the strike's duration, outcome or conditions at the site since 11 July 2019.
On 11 July 2019, Somaliland Standard reported that construction workers at the Berbera port expansion had gone on strike on Thursday, citing that daily wages had been reduced. The strike date of Thursday is as reported by Somaliland Standard on 11 July 2019 and is not independently fixed to a calendar date.
According to the report, several dozen workers gathered and briefed local media on their situation. Their cited reason for stopping work was a reduction in daily wages, an account that comes from the workers through Somaliland Standard, not from the employer, the port authority or an independent observer.
What the workers claimed
The report records a set of grievances attributed to the workers:
- Recruitment of foreign blue-collar workers, which the workers said put their jobs at risk.
- Local citizens idle in the township, the workers complained.
- A protest against local firms that signed a deal with Dubai Ports World, whom the workers accused of not giving them their rights.
- Lack of accommodation and health benefits for local workers relative to foreign blue-collar workers.
On pay, the workers said the local firms had earmarked 30 US dollars per day, while workers were currently paid 75,000 Somaliland shillings. That comparison is the workers' claim: the report gives no exchange rate and no pay period for the shilling figure. Neither figure should be read as an agreed, actual or market wage.
The workers sent a plea to the president and the minister in charge of labour affairs to intervene urgently, according to the report. No response from either office is recorded, and the report names neither official.
What the report does not establish
Much of what a contractor or labour analyst would need is absent. The local firms that signed the deal with Dubai Ports World are not named, and the deal itself is not described or dated. No employer, contractor or operator statement on the strike, the wage reduction or the recruitment of foreign workers is included. The number of striking workers is described only as "several dozen"; no exact count is given. No strike duration or end date is recorded, and no outcome is established.
Most consequentially, the report does not establish what has happened since 11 July 2019: the status of the workers, wage levels, or the works at the Berbera port expansion. Nothing in the report should be read as confirming that the stoppage ended, continued or was resolved.
The report was published by Somaliland Standard on 11 July 2019.
Frequently asked questions
Who struck and in what numbers at the Berbera port expansion?
On 11 July 2019, Somaliland Standard reported that construction workers at the Berbera port expansion went on strike, and that several dozen workers gathered and briefed local media. No exact count is given.
What wage figures did the workers cite?
The workers said local firms had earmarked 30 US dollars per day while workers were paid 75,000 Somaliland shillings. The report gives no exchange rate and no pay period for the shilling figure, so neither number is an agreed or actual wage.
What response was recorded from employers or government?
None. The report includes no employer, contractor or operator statement, and no response from the president or the minister in charge of labour affairs, to whom the workers sent a plea to intervene.