Ports of Conveniece

Ports of Convenience

A port of convenience is a port or a terminal where health and safety standards (H&S) or working conditions are below what’s considered acceptable by ITF and its affiliated unions. The ITF is working to ensure that acceptable standards apply in ports and terminals around the world.

Multi-national companies operate global supply chains and are often focused on profit margins and increasing their share of the market. The ITF says that this should not come at the price of those who are working in the ports. The ITF believes that all port workers should be able to work in a safe way, that they should be paid fairly for the work that they do, that their jobs should be secure and that they should all have the right to join a trade union to represent them in their workplace.

The work of the POC campaign organises trade unions to combat the excesses of globalisation and to stop the exploitation of

transport workers worldwide.

Protect yourself- JOIN A TRADE UNION.

We are dealing with seven key issues:

- Competition                      

- Global Network Terminals

- Privatisation                      

- Casualisation

- Trade union rights                

- Occupational health and safety

- Job security

About Cargo Handling

Seafarers are increasingly being asked to stow or secure cargo but this is dangerous work that should only be done by trained and experienced dockers.

Although there may be some extra cash for the crew offered by the charterer, most of the time it is not even equally divided so that most of the cash goes often to the officers on-board who get the seafarers to handle the cargo. Seafarers are even being asked to start unlashing containers before entering port, with the aim of speeding up port operations, which is very dangerous. 

Is cargo-handling by seafarers

really a problem?

There are great risks to safety at sea and to individual seafarers if untrained workers handle cargo

- It’s dangerous unless

you’re properly trained

- It means longer working hours

and more fatigue

- It’s another way

the operator makes money

out of you