In the UK, the ports have been more extensively privatised than perhaps in any other country of the world. Geordie Landles is Transport and General Workers’ Union (TGWU) convener at the port of Felixstowe on the country’s east coast. He explains why British dock workers took part in the ITF Europe-wide Action Day on 25 September 2001 against the port reforms being proposed by the European Commission.

We don’t believe the Members of the European Parliament or the Commission have any idea how ports in the UK operate since privatisation. They don’t understand how highly trained and professional dock workers are. They seem to think that dockers still lift and carry by hand. But we drive heavy plant machinery. We handle 2.8 million containers a year at Felixstowe, plus the ro-ro ferries. It is difficult and skilled work, and very dangerous.

The proposed European Directive gives employers the opportunity to employ non-permanent or casualised dock workers. Shipping companies could even use their own crews, putting those workers in great danger. Not only are the unions in opposition, but also many employers, and the UK government.

So early in the morning of the European Action Day, we held a mass meeting at Felixstowe, timed between shifts so that we could get maximum participation. In fact, some 1,500 out of 1,900 of those who work at Felixstowe attended. Similar meetings were held in all the major British ports, including Southampton, Liverpool and Bristol. We explained to the dock workers what is in the proposed directive. They were very angry.

It worries us that here in this industry we have a highly-skilled, professional workforce that could be dismembered and made to work under many employers. I don’t want to be reduced to, say, two days’ work in a week when right now I have guaranteed weekly wages and conditions. We don’t want to work alongside unskilled people, for fear of what accidents might happen to them and to us. Too many port workers get injured already.

This has brought dock workers much closer together in the UK. We have just about recovered from port privatisation. We have some good employers, with good terms and conditions. We have given them greater degrees of flexibility. It costs a lot of money to train dock workers – a lot of investment goes into the people.

The EU Transport Commissioner, Loyola de Palacio, is still trying to drive this through very quickly, even though even the latest draft is not thought out well. I think it comes from the shipowners. Competition between them is very fierce. They have got rid of their European crews and reduced costs by using cheap labour. Now they are looking to push down costs even further, by casualisation and attacking working terms and conditions in the Northern European ports where there are high standards of health and safety, training etc. Here we have health and safety officers, paramedics and a complete medical centre in the port. If the industry was casualised, who would pay for all these things?

I had heard about how this was developing, but after we all met up at the ITF dockers’ meeting in Valencia in mid-2000, that’s when the lobbying started. We’ve had one Action Day, but it looks like we may have to step up the action further.