Workers’ resistance to a major reform package is gathering momentum as its full implications become clear

More than 20,000 port workers across Europe took part in protest actions against the European Union’s proposed ports directive in January.

The actions, including meetings, boycotts and strikes, drew attention to the risks of the planned liberalisation of the EU port industry. This would introduce more competition between all sorts of port service providers, including stevedoring companies and tug pilots, into European ports. This type of liberalisation threatens jobs and safety by allowing shipping lines to employ cheap, unqualified and non-union labour.

Port workers from Finland, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal and the UK were joined in their protests by fellow workers in Cyprus and Malta, both of which are in line for EU membership, and Norway, which has close links with the EU.

A recent case in Germany underlines the dangers of the kind of market deregulation the directive is proposing.

In January German police detained 10 Polish crane drivers who had recently boarded a Panamanian flagged ship in Bremen. The Japanese owned and managed self discharger Basic Arrow was carrying iron ore from Narvik.

The police found that the Poles, all of whom work for a Polish company, were falsely described on the crew manifest as seafarers, although the intention was clearly to use them to discharge cargo. All had entered Germany on tourist visas. They were quickly deported.

Secretary of the ITF Dockers’ Section Kees Marges said: “This proves what we have always said about the proposed directive. If you allow self-handling, you risk allowing what happened here: the use of cheap labour, in this case even brought in illegally, and taking over the work of German workers. From the beginning we have warned that the directive would facilitate this kind of social dumping.”

The ITF fears that if the directive is finally adopted by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament, it will threaten the working conditions and employment of port workers, jeopardise their health and safety, and deskill their jobs.

The directive would therefore seriously harm the quality of the service provided to port users.

Marges said: “It should not only be the ITF and the entire trade union movement opposing the proposed policies, but all the other stake holders too – port authorities, private terminal operators, shipping lines and ship owners. Those bona fide shipping lines that currently pledge not to use untrained port workers to handle cargo will be faced with cut-throat competition from unscrupulous ship owners who use cheap, unregulated port labour.”

Ultimately, reputable shipping lines may find that they have to seek out cheaper port services and accept lower standards. The job cuts, deteriorating working conditions and safety concerns that ensue could lead to years of bitter labour disputes in EU ports.

EU port reform The ITF says: Yes to the modernisation of EU ports where modernisation means: improving port infrastructure improving professional training to increase the efficient transport of goods promoting good industrial relations Yes to fair competition where regulations are in place to safeguard standards and ensure a level playing field. No to “ports of convenience” Deregulation and consequent casualisation will mean: employers can hire anyone to do dock work violation of ILO convention 137 – the legal framework for government regulation of dock work deterioration in service and safety standards falling wages gradual erosion of collective bargaining No to self-handling/cargo-handling by seafarers Neither ships’ crews nor any other workers should be allowed to carry out cargo-handling or any other dock work without the express permission of the local port union