LABOUR · URUGUAY
Key Facts
- The country Uruguay, about 3.4 million people. Terminal Cuenca del Plata (TCP) is the main container terminal at the port of Montevideo. Belgium’s Katoen Natie is the majority owner.
- What happened On Wednesday 30 September 2026, TCP and the dock union Supra reached an agreement in principle, drafted by the Ministry of Labour (MTSS), aimed at ending a conflict of more than four months.
- The numbers From 1 January 2027, 197 dockers move from 20 to 21 guaranteed work days a month (MTSS, El País, 30 Sep–1 Oct 2026). One-off payment: midpoint of 27,500 and 50,000 pesos (about US$684 and US$1,243, El País).
- What it means for you Importers and exporters should see container work at TCP return to normal. The labour minister said minimum-service rules would lift once the union assembly approves.
- Still open The formal pre-agreement has not yet been signed; the labour minister named Friday 2 October at 11:00 for the meeting. Union members must still ratify it, and the full text is unpublished.
The Montevideo port strike moved towards an end on Wednesday 30 September 2026. Terminal Cuenca del Plata and its dock workers’ union reached an agreement in principle at the Ministry of Labour.
The formal pre-agreement has still to be signed. The deal gives 197 dockers one more guaranteed work day a month from January.
It also sets a five-year contract with a peace clause meant to keep the terminal calm.
What the pre-agreement says
The Ministry of Labour and Social Security, known as MTSS, published the terms after the talks. Talks took place at its National Labour Directorate (DINATRA).
Workers who now have 20 guaranteed days a month will get 21 from 1 January 2027. El País reported that 197 workers are in that group.
A one-off payment will be made at signing, set at the midpoint of both positions. El País put those positions at 27,500 pesos (about US$684) for TCP and 50,000 pesos (about US$1,243) for the union.
Conversions use 40.23 pesos per US dollar on 1 October 2026 (open.er-api). The exact payment has not been published.
Staff in maintenance, container repair and straddle-carrier driving get a separate compensation payment, backdated to 13 July. Every worker will be evaluated each October, including October 2027.
El País reported that the 2027 review will decide whether some workers rise to 22 guaranteed days. Workers below 20 days get a stepped increase.
How the deal came together
The MTSS had tabled a compromise on 23 September, covered in Montevideo Port Dispute: Uruguay Proposes 21 Guaranteed Work Days. Until Wednesday, union leaders had refused to back a five-year deal, El País reported.
El Observador reported that Alejandro Sánchez, secretary of the presidency, then called Katoen Natie in Antwerp and union leaders. His formula moved the 21st day to January instead of May.
Both sides accepted the revised text by official e-mail, the MTSS said. Leaders of the Pit-Cnt, the national trade union federation, also signed the documents, El País reported.
Labour Minister Juan Castillo said negotiation was the only way he knew to resolve conflict. Supra leader Álvaro Reinaldo said the union got what it could, and some demands were left behind.
What changes for shippers and the port
The government had declared minimum services for container work at the port. Castillo said these would end immediately once the union assembly approves the pre-agreement, El País reported.
Business groups had called the situation serious before the deal. The Colorado Party still plans to question Castillo in parliament, and is pushing for limits on strikes, as in Strike Regulation in Uruguay: Colorado Party Bill Seeks Seven Working Days’ Notice.
For traders, the Montevideo port strike risk should ease if the five-year contract is signed. The peace clause requires dialogue before any new industrial action, Reinaldo said.
What Is Not Yet Known
The final collective contract still has to be drafted, using the company’s 28 August offer as a base. Castillo said it might be ready for signing on Friday 2 October.
The union assembly vote is pending, and the exact one-off payment has not been disclosed. The scale of the stepped increase for workers below 20 days has not been detailed.
Sources: MTSS (30 Sep 2026); El País Uruguay (1 Oct 2026); El País Uruguay (30 Sep 2026); Montevideo Portal (30 Sep 2026); El Observador (30 Sep 2026); open.er-api.com exchange rate (1 Oct 2026).
More: Uruguay news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
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