From the complaints of the trucker they interviewed, it sounds like Maersk has a management problem. Crane operators have long breaks because the work is taxing. But having an operator on break shouldn’t mean the crane stops. Two hour breaks are basically split shifts. So five operators for four cranes should cover you. If the don’t all work identical split shifts.
Robots are a pretty passive aggressive way to get rid of bad management.
Other way around, robots are a way to get around the consequences of bad management while the managers keep their jobs. Was middle management slashed too when the robots were rolled out?
It's also a good way to ensure that wealth becomes concentrated in upper management. I'm all for automation provided it's done in a way that workers would actually want and ensures they continue to get a (growing) piece of the pie.
Robots are a pretty passive aggressive way to get rid of bad management.