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Portworkers won a major battle in November 2003, when the European Parliament rejected the ports directive aimed at the liberalisation of European ports. In the third and final round of voting, 229 members of the European Parliament voted against the directive, while 209 voted in favour.

The vote represented a defeat for governments (with the exception of the Belgian and Swedish who were against the directive), port authorities, shippers and shipping lines. It was not only a remarkable victory for the European portworkers. It was also a historic decision by the European Parliament.

"Never before has a directive been rejected as a result of workers' actions, including demonstrations and strikes, organised by national and international trade unions," said ITF Dockers' Secretary Kees Marges. "Portworkers in the European Union, supported by those outside the EU and even outside Europe, have proved that the future of trade union work lies in the international cooperation of trade unions, based on the self-interest of workers and their international solidarity."

The final text was agreed between the European Parliament and the European Council of Ministers following a formal period of conciliation. Agreement was reached on 29 September, the same day that European dockers protested against the directive in one of the biggest ever international port workers' demonstrations, involving 9,000 workers, in Rotterdam.

Portworkers across Europe had already been campaigning against the directive for three years. Dockers' unions in Europe lobbied the European Parliament and organised demonstrations in Brussels, Antwerp and Strasbourg. The Strasbourg events in March 2003 led the European Parliament to approve crucial amendments to the text, but these proved unacceptable to the Council of Ministers.

Had the amendments been adopted, the directive would have contained some regulatory safeguards and would have been accepted by the unions, albeit only just, as a final compromise. Without these safeguards unions feared they would face job cuts, worsening conditions and compromises on safety, as unqualified non-union labour became the norm.

However the ceaseless campaigning of trade unions, workers and critics within the industry finally brought about the collapse of the reform package.

Marges said, "The EU directive sought to formalise the growing casualisation and de-skilling that is a creeping menace elsewhere in the world. We have achieved a crucial victory, but this is only part of a continuing battle."

Meanwhile, the waterfront war in Europe - which began in January 2001, when the then still secret draft for the European Ports Directive was leaked to the ITF - is not over yet. Indications are strong that the European Commission is now looking for other ways to liberalise the European ports, possibly via the World Trade Organisation.

"To prepare for the next battle in what will be a global waterfront war we have decided to merge the existing ITF campaigns against union-busting and cargo-handling by seafarers," said Marges.

"We need a single campaign against ports of convenience, which offer their services for the convenience of shippers and shipping lines, and at the expense of workers, civil society and the environment.

Trade unions must now take the initiative to develop our own social standards and criteria, to be met by authorities and port service providers. The ITF's long-running campaign against flags of convenience has taught us how to manage such a global, and if necessary, longlasting campaign."

Ongoing ITF measures to address issues

Stepping up the anti-union-busting campaign (against anti-union employment practices and shipowners switching to non-unionised terminals) .

• Continuing the campaign to keep port work for port workers (Leave it to the professionals, it's our work).
• Encouraging unions to monitor unregulated cargo-handling activities in ports and on board ship.
• Challenging contract violations on board vessels with an ITF agreement - cargo handling by seafarers would amount to a breach of the agreement.
• Pressing for improved professional training of portworkers, to increase the quality of cargo handling services and thus the competitiveness of a port.
• Campaigning against casualisation.
• Lobbying for the maintenance of safety standards.
• Assisting and supporting affiliates in their efforts to secure collective bargaining rights for port workers.