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Arab world dockers express solidarity with Indian port drivers
25 February 2010
Dockers in the Arab world region have expressed solidarity with port drivers in India who are fighting for their right to organise.
Union leaders representing workers in APM and DPW terminals and other ports in eight countries across the Arab World, who participated in the ITF Arab World dockers’ meeting from 23-25 February in Beirut, Lebanon, passed a resolution in support of port workers in Mumbai, India. They have been experiencing brutal violence by contractors operating at Gateway Terminals India, a subsidiary of multinational shipping firm Maersk, for attempting to exert their legitimate righ ts to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
The union leaders resolved to support the Transport and Dock Workers' Union (TDWU) and its union members working at the terminal in their struggle to exercise their basic trade union and human rights. They also connected their own struggles for union recognition and bargaining in APM terminals across the region with those of TDWU members in Mumbai.
Naser Nazzal, head of the seafarers’ union in Lebanon, commented: “All maritime workers in the Arab world stand in solidarity, hand in hand, with their brothers in India.” He added: “We will be ready to take further actions if we are asked to.”
The meeting also focused on how research can support unions organising in the global network terminals and looked at developing effective ways of pooling and analysing information across these companies’ operations in the Arab world. Among the conclusions to emerge from the meeting was that it was important to expand a framework for providing workers with information on global network terminals - including details on working conditions and which unions operate in which terminals - so that unions can raise standards at their own terminals and ultimately ensure that workers’ rights are recognised in the region.
Bilal Malkawi, ITF representative in the Arab World, said: “This seminar is part of a long-term project in the region, which aims to make sure that minimum standards are applicable in all ports in the region.
“The Arab port workers’ leaders are now very aware of the ports of convenience issue and that they are part of global ITF solidarity campaigns.”
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