Ports
 Ports
have undergone fundamental changes in the past decades due to changes in shipping
and cargo-handling technology, in particular the introduction of the standard
- size, intermodal shipping containers. Cargo-handling, once a labour-intensive
activity, has become increasingly capital - intensive as a result of these changes.
The result has been a substantial reduction in the number of
persons required to move cargo. Though seaborne trade has risen dramatically over
the same period, the considerable efficiencies resulting from the new technologies
and techniques has meant a dramatic decrease in the number of portworkers needed
in many ports. In many cases this has resulted in redundancies and various schemes
to preserve employment. It has also led to round-the-clock portworker, with work
divided into shift work, and other changes designed to reduce the time ships spend
in port and to increase the use of expensive cargo-handling equipment.
Structural adjustment has caused the second -- and more recent
-- wave of change in the port sector. The general aim has been to improve the
efficiency of port operations and to bring their operations in line with private
sector industries. This has usually resulted in further cuts in the workforce.
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