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Dockworkers victory in European Parliament

Dockworkers victory in European Parliament

No to the Directive. The European Parliament has expressed its opinion with strength during the plenary session aimed to decide whether to approve or reject a text that had the opposition of dock workers all over the continent. A total of 229 Euro MPs has voted against a Directive which only defended the interests of big shipbuilding companies, a text that would have led ports to an absolute chaos. 209 MPs have voted against the text, and 16 others have abstained. With these results the rejection of the Parliament to the liberalization of the harbour services is clear, as well as the support to a system of work organisation which respects the labour conquests of the workers, also taking care of the real needs of the citizenship.

We find the key to explain the dockworkers’ victory in the action of the IDC, International Dockworkers Council, which from the very first moment showed its opposition to the text of the Directive, unfolding all its capacity of mobilisation to defeat it. The unity of action of the dock workers was shown by a constant dripping of demonstrations and strikes which took place from Algeciras to Pireo, from Copenhagen to Marseilles, proving the firm will of the dock workers to defend their profession. During this week dockworkers from France, Portugal, Spain, Greece and Cyprus stopped working to demonstrate their firm opposition to the text of the Directive.

The results of the voting in the European Parliament mean a serious defeat for the European Comissioner of Transports and Energy, Loyola de Palacio, who saw the approval as a personal challenge. The rejection to the Directive implies the rejection of the concept of “self-handling”, which would have allowed the shipbuilders to work with people in conditions close to slavery. The strong defense of the profession and of the conditions of security in the ports -an aspect that not only implies stowage, but also pilotage- has been another one of the pillars on which the IDC has built its action.

The rejection to the text of the Directive proves that there is a social majority in Europe supporting the respect of the labour rights of the workers, and supporting also the extension of these rights to the harbours located in other continents. The IDC, organisation which represents dock workers worldwide, has been considerably reinforced by these results and celebrates this decision of the Europarliament.

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