ITF Unions in Maersk
Change low graphic options |
Change language
| Skip content to navigation
Page context: Unions in Maersk
Persistence pays
23 June 2009
SBF secures better agreement with Svitzer than one agreed by fellow union
Swedish officers’ union SBF has negotiated a better collective agreement with Svitzer than the one it had been jointly negotiating with fellow officers’ union SFBF last year. SFBF settled last spring, to the annoyance of SBF, but it has now also signed the improved deal.
Christer Themnér, President of SBF (the Merchant Marine Officers Association), tells the ITF in an interview that it and SFBF had been negotiating an agreement with Maersk-owned Svitzer Sverige last spring. An agreement was put forward that SFBF accepted and signed, but SBF was not happy and continued to negotiate on its own, and this persistence has now paid off with an improved deal that both unions have signed up to.
Themnér says his union could not agree to the deal agreed by SFBF, as it paid little heed to the wide-ranging local conditions faced by Svitzer crews around Sweden.
The key to its success, says Themnér, was being persistent and skilled in its negotiating position. “Sometimes we just wondered who was the counterpart because there were a lot of discussions, both with SFBF and the employer. But it was not helpful to have their (SFBF’s) signed agreement.”
SBF rejected that agreement as, in its opinion, it was too uniform. Some tugboat crews are on standby some of the time, others all of the time, and the long and varied coast makes working conditions in Swedish ports anything but uniform, says Themnér.
“Svitzer wanted to make a uniform agreement covering everything,” says Themnér, “but we couldn’t accept that because we had to take into account the special local circumstances.”
Despite the “serious problems” SBF had with SFBF, Themnér says the two unions are good friends and are actually discussing a merger. The two boards will hold a joint meeting in September.
In the last year, SBF negotiated on its own with Svitzer, in the face of opposition from SFBF, which naturally wanted to stick to the deal it had signed up to.
SBF’s new agreement runs to February 2011. What tips would Themnér pass on to other negotiators? “I don’t know really, we’re just very good negotiators. It’s no secret that…we're the biggest union in Svitzer when it comes to officers.”
The negotiations were conducted by head office staff, with shop stewards in the background.
Related news:
27 May 2009
Financial crisis hits Svitzer expansion plans in Lisbon
Decline in port activities to blame
Svitzer Lisboa has been...
23 March 2009
Svitzer UK denies incorrect ergonomics on tugs, but steps up training
Nautilus pursues issue nevertheless
Svitzer UK is in the...
14 March 2009
Svitzer to add newbuilding to Swedish flag
Danish vessel under DIS to return to Denmark
Svitzer’s...
Back to current network news stories
Section home:
Unions in Maersk
Other pages for Unions in Maersk:
About | Network Bulletin | Reports and Background | Network meetings | A.P. Moller-Maersk | Web links | Contact Information
Main Sections:
Home | About us | Solidarity | Flags of Convenience campaign | Seafarers | Dockers | Civil Aviation | Railways | Road transport | Urban Transport | Fisheries | Tourism | Inland Navigation | Women | Education | Young workers
Transport International Magazine
Full graphics version
accessibility | site help | site map
ITF House, 49-60 Borough Road, London SE1 1DR | +44 20 7403 2733 | mail@itf.org.uk
