Pacific

Deal signed to end French Polynesia port strike

07:34 am on 19 August 2013

An agreement has been reached in French Polynesia to end a 17-day port strike in Papeete.

Reports say about 2,000 containers have been stacked in port but they should gradually be cleared from today once details of the strike settlement have been worked through.

The stoppage centred on demands to improve security after a number of fatal work accidents in recent years.

Tahiti-infos says however there are divergent interpretations of the accord, with the union saying its members will be paid in full for the days they were on strikes.

The port management and the government say this is not the case.

The strike is said to have caused more than two million US dollars a day in losses to the local economy.

Business leaders have gone to court in a bid to coerce the French High Commission to intervene.