The “service agreement” guarantees a flow of 20 containers an hour and stipulates the conditions to ensure that maximum efficiency levels are reached, the GRTU said yesterday.

Three days ago, stevedores at the Freeport were ordered to go on strike because no agreement existed to regulate the number of containers the Freeport could release every hour.

GRTU director general Vince Farrugia said this was the first service agreement between the Freeport and the largest group that used the Freeport.

The agreement was signed by Mr Farrugia and Freeport chairman Mark Portelli.