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ETF call for port safety focus
24 January 2008
The ITF’s European arm, the ETF, has called on the European Commission (EC) to put health and safety at the heart of the EU’s port policy.
Responding to reports of an accident that led to the deaths of two stevedores in Italy on 18 January, the ETF is urging the EC to provide an early European response to health and safety issues in ports. The accident is one in a series of fatalities triggering serious concerns over safety on the docks.
EU member states, responsible for implementing existing health and safety rules also had a role to play to ensure these were strictly adhered to, said the statement.
It is believed that the stevedores died while working on board a vessel in Porto Marghera in Venice. Port stoppages after the accident culminated in joint national strike action by Italian transport unions Filt-Cgil, Fit-Cisl and Uiltrasporti over the weekend. The action brought virtually all of Italy’s ports to a standstill. The unions are demanding the extension of the framework law on safety - currently applied in the ports of Genoa, Ravenna and Naples - to all Italian ports. They are now considering what further steps to take. Meanwhile, the ETF has expressed solidarity with the dockers’ struggle.
“It is not acceptable that a sector vital for the EU economy, such as ports, which shows high growth rates, is not able to guarantee the safety of people who, through their work, contribute to such a growth. Productivity growth cannot be reached to the detriment of safety,” said ETF Dockers Political Secretary, Philippe Alfonso.
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