Montevideo Port: Uruguay establishes minimum services at TCP terminal

The Uruguayan government has intervened in the ongoing labor dispute at the Terminal Cuenca del Plata (TCP) in the Port of Montevideo by establishing a regime of minimum services. The decision, signed by the Ministers of Transport and Public Works, Lucía Etcheverry, and Labor and Social Security, Juan Castillo, follows failed negotiations between the port union and the terminal operator, Katoen Natie.

Crucially, the government rejected the company’s request to declare the port’s operations as ‘essential services,’ which would have more strictly limited the right to strike. Instead, the decree establishes a ‘special and transitory’ regime of minimum services to ensure the continuity of indispensable operations, including vessel loading and unloading, container reception (both road and fluvial), and storage. For road transport, the resolution mandates a minimum of 25 containers per hour.

The labor central PIT-CNT has criticized the measure as ‘excessive,’ arguing that the mandated levels of service approach normal operating conditions rather than a true minimum. The union is considering reporting the matter to the International Labour Organization (ILO). Meanwhile, the conflict has raised concerns regarding the competitiveness of the Port of Montevideo, as some cargo operations have shifted to the nearby Port of Buenos Aires during periods of paralysis.