Shipping workers at the Aden and Hodeida ports in Yemen are continuing their strikes to demand better work rights, a move which came after the government and DP World failed to meet their demands, informed sources said on Saturday.The strikes began on Thursday, they added.

Trade at these ports has been paralyzed, with the workers in Aden demanding DP World, the current operator of the Aden port, to improve their work rights includign a pay rise after other ports it runs, the sources said.

The workers started and called of their strikes months. "The government and DP World promised to meet our demands, but later they turned a deaf ear to us," said striking workers in Aden in the south and Hodeida in the west.

Sources at the Labour Union Syndicate at the Aden port said the shipping operations have been completely halted because the workers insist to submit their demands to DP World.

"They want DP World to improve their work conditions after other ports it runs in the Arab region and they have vowed to continue their strike until their demands were met," the sources added.

Since it took office in December, the power-sharing government has started practical actions with regard to reconsidering the agreement signed with DP World, the world's third-largest port operator, in 2008 to run and develop the Aden port. Some economists have criticized the agreement and argued instead of development, the port has already deteriorated.

This important port has become very idle in recent years, though some studies indicated it will bring in tens of billions of US dollars a year if the government pays more attention to it.

Besides bad managements in recent years, maritime piracy remains one of the key reasons behind the deterioration of the Aden port, once one of the most key ports in the world.