Port operator forced to make redundancies

Copenhagen Malmö Port (CMP), which operates the Port of Copenhagen in Denmark and the Port of Malmö in Sweden, said that the redundancy proceedings will affect 40 employees in Malmö. This is despite measures taken to minimise the impact, such as a savings package initiated last month and utilising financial assistance from the government. Currently, the redundancy plan does not involve employees at the Port of Copenhagen.

Barbara Scheel Agersnap, CEO of CMP, said: “It is with much regret that we see no other way out than to serve notice of lay-offs. This is a difficult message to give to the employees. We have tried, for some time, to find other solutions, including a comprehensive savings package that was initiated in March, and the central governments’ financial assistance packages that are being used in both Denmark and Sweden, unfortunately however this is not sufficient. The declines in number of calls and handled volumes, and thus loss of revenue, are too large.”

Unstable supply chain

CMP said that in addition to overall global impacts for the industry, projections from shipping companies and customers are unstable. Malmö is Scandinavia’s largest car port and has been majorly impacted as car factories have shut down and sales of newly produced cars have significantly decreased,

In addition, CMP is strongly affected by a currently closed cruise industry and a significant decline in most other business segments, both in Denmark and Sweden.