Union halts port operations as fears mount over layoffs and future of ‘New ZIM’

ZIM Employees Intensify Strike Over Job Security Amid Hapag-Lloyd Takeover Plan

Workers at ZIM Integrated Shipping Services escalated strike action on Tuesday, protesting uncertainty over jobs following a proposed $4.2 billion takeover by Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd. Around 800 unionised employees stopped all operations at ZIM’s headquarters in Haifa, extending disruptions to ports at Ashdod and Haifa, with docked vessels left unloaded. Union leaders said the strike was triggered by concerns that a planned carve-out, to be acquired by FIMI Opportunity Fund, would create a smaller Israeli container line named “New ZIM” employing only about 120 people. This has raised fears that nearly 900 workers could lose their jobs despite tenure guarantees. While ZIM declined to comment, Hapag-Lloyd said it was committed to negotiating job security in good faith and emphasised Israel’s strategic importance to the combined business. The union, however, questioned the long-term viability of “New ZIM,” citing its limited scale in a highly competitive shipping market.