Dockers’ Section

PORT INDUSTRY UPDATE
Issue 3, April 2006

 
Contents:

1. Union updates / notices
2. Health and Safety
3. Industry trends
4. Americas & The Caribbean
5. Asia Pacific
6. Africa and Middle East
7. Europe

1. UNION UPDATES / NOTICES

Closure of trade union and intimidation of union officers in Iraq

The Port Workers’ Union at Khour Al-Zubeir Port has had its offices and committees closed by the port authority - the General Company of Iraqi Ports - for which the Ministry of Transport is responsible.  The union is a member of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers and both it and the Federation are affiliated to the ITF. 

The union’s board members have also had their salaries held back and have been transferred to a location 550km away from their normal workplace and their homes.  In addition, we understand that the board members’ families have received intimidating visits and an order has been issued for the arrest of these union officers under Convention No. 150 (1987), a law introduced by Saddam Hussein banning public sector workers from joining trade unions.  The ITF has condemned the use of this piece of legislation introduced by the former dictator to suppress the activities of a legitimate union.

These anti-union tactics began after the union outlined workers’ demands when writing to a consultant to the Minister of Transport on 23 March. These included a request for improvements in current poor working conditions.         

The ITF has called on the Minister of Transport to act urgently to stop the unjust treatment of our affiliate and informed him that that if the situation was not resolved, the ITF would take immediate steps to complain to the International Labour Organisation. An Urgent Action was issued to all dockers’ affiliates urging them to send protest letters to the Iraqi Embassy in their countries in support of our Iraqi colleagues.                           

International support and victory for European dockers

6,000 dockers from 16 European countries were joined in Strasbourg, France, by comrades from Australia (MUA), Canada and the USA (ILWU) on 16th January in their protest against the European Commission’s attempt to open up the region’s port services market.  The now infamous ‘Ports Package 2’ – the Commission’s second attempt to push through reforms that threatened jobs, working conditions, health and safety and the quality of port services in Europe - suffered the same fate as its predecessor in a vote of the European Parliament that took place two days later on 18th January. 

It was a huge victory for the European dockers, with 532 votes to 120 rejecting the draft instrument.  There were 25 abstentions.  Frank Leys, Secretary of the ITF Dockers Section, said: "This is a massive rejection. Chalk one up to common sense, to committed opposition by trade unions, and to virtually the whole industry uniting in the rejection of the package. But even as we congratulate ourselves and thank our colleagues worldwide for their support, we must remain vigilant. You never know when the next attempt to turn the industry on its head may come."  See also Section 7 on ‘Europe’.   

Brazilian unions strike over use of unorganised, unregistered labour

Members of the Intersindical de Vitoria, a coordinating committee for Brazil’s dockers’ unions, staged two 24-hour strikes on 22 and 24 February, after new personnel, whose names did not appear on an official register of dockers, were hired. The unions’ campaign involved a lobby of local politicians as well as widespread dissemination of information to other unions and the ITF. Grassroots members were also briefed about the campaign.  The unions, all members of the ITF-affilated Confederaçao Nacionaldos Trabalhadores em Transportes Aquaviarios e Aereos, na Pesca e nos Portos CONTTMAF, took a firm stand against several port operators’ willingness to flout Brazilian law and ILO Convention 137, which the government has ratified.

At a meeting on 24 February which followed the successful strikes - the terminal was brought to a total standstill - the employers agreed to dismiss all 68 unregistered workers and to employ only dockers listed on the official register who were union members. However, the port operators later failed to deliver on their promises prompting the dockers to go back on strike.  Two 48-hour strikes were organised in the state of Espirito Santo in the port of Portocel on 8 March and terminal Vila Velha on 14 March.  From its latest contact with the union, the Secretariat understood that union representatives were working towards resolving the dispute but strike action remained likely.

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To contribute to the PIU, please contact Sharon James, Dockers’ Section (james_sharon@itf.org.uk; fax: +44 2079409275).