In recent years, frequent strikes in Europe have become a major concern for cross-border e-commerce sellers. In January this year, French unions announced that due to pension reform disputes, French port workers will go on strike for nearly a month, with intermittent 4-hour stoppages, severely impacting maritime and port operations.
The strike will begin on January 7th and continue until the 31st. Each strike will last for 4 hours, mainly between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM, affecting several major French ports, including Le Havre and Marseille. The port workers plan to hold 10 concentrated strikes during this period, which is expected to significantly affect the import and export of goods and shipping timeliness.
⚠️ Impact of the Strike on Cross-Border Logistics:
Transport Disruptions
As one of Europe's key logistics hubs, French ports are likely to experience service interruptions due to the strike, disrupting shipping schedules and causing delays in the delivery and customs clearance of goods. Sellers should pay particular attention to the possibility of goods being detained at the ports, leading to shipping delays.
Inventory Pressure
If goods are not delivered to their destination country's overseas warehouses on time, sellers will face pressure from expired inventory and rising storage fees, which can be especially detrimental to sellers dealing with seasonal orders.
Rising Shipping Costs
Shipping delays caused by the strike may result in a shortage of transport capacity, leading to higher shipping costs. Cross-border e-commerce sellers may face increased shipping expenses.
Other Related Services Affected
In addition to port operations, customs clearance, sorting, and distribution may also be impacted, creating bottlenecks in the entire logistics chain and affecting the seller's customer experience.