Strike Over, Problem Sorted, Right?

Well those naughty militant Argy dock workers didn't quite get everything they asked for. They had to compromise a bit on their outrageous 100% pay increase demands and settle for a reportedly "more modest" 27% rise instead.

So that's the end of that then, eh? You'd certainly think so judging by Chicago's reaction to the news last night with front month beans down 33 cents and meal shedding USD17.30.

Of course that isn't going to do diddly squat to get any Argy beans or meal to Europe any quicker until the very end of April at the earliest. Acute congestion problems, accentuated by the record crops there, will keep loading delays to at least two to three weeks - and quite possibly more then that as the season wears on.

The fashion for chartering boats to load in both Argentina and then Brazil before sailing for Europe is hardly going to hurry things along either.

Oh, and there's another problem, suppose you were a docker in other parts of Argentina (of Brazil), and your compatriots in Rosario have just had a 27% increase for the sake of a ten day strike. I think that you might fancy a piece of that action as well, might you not?

And I guess that the truckers could do with some extra folding stuff too? Then there's the mood amongst the pot banging, tyre burning farmers to consider - losing 35% to the government in export tax on every soybean exported.

It's not over 'til the fat lady sails. Talking of Mrs N#1, oooh no missus don't, nay nay and thrice nay it's not her fault she's big boned. I wouldn't exactly say she was fat, but she did have her own postcode. She used to wear two watches you know, one for each time zone she was in.