The meeting came the day after dockers’ unions across Europe organised, on 25 September, solidarity actions with Portuguese unions, including ITF and ETF affiliate Oficiaismar. The Portuguese unions were entering their second week of a second national strike in protest at government proposals to relax employment regulations in the country’s ports.
Leaders from dockers’ unions affiliated to the European Transport’ Workers’ Federation (ETF) and the ITF warned that the attack on Portuguese dock work was “the shape of things to come” and signalled a concerted attempt by the EC to further liberalise Europe’s port industry. It would result in an increase in casualisation, the erosion of trade union rights and a lowering of hard-won health and safety standards and working conditions.
The ETF and ITF argued that this legislation is similar to Europe-wide legislative attempts, known as port packages one and two, which were successfully defeated by dockers in 2003 and 2006. They said that although it was now being forced through on a national basis, the legislation would have the same potential wide-ranging effects on dockers.
Chair of the ETF dockers’ section Terje Samuelsen said: “Portugal can be considered as a laboratory for European ports policy. Several measures put forward by the Portuguese government correspond perfectly to the proposals that can be expected across Europe. We will defeat port package three just as we did its predecessors.”
ITF president and dockers’ section chair Paddy Crumlin said: “This type of deregulation will not be countenanced by the world dockers’ movement. In a global industry maintenance of standards and trade union rights is a global issue, not just a national or regional one.”
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