ITF Dockers News.

MUA rallies to prevent waterfront deaths

http://www.itfglobal.org/news-online/index.cfm/newsdetail/8725

28 March 2013

The Maritime Union of Australia and thousands of its members around Australia rallied outside the offices of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) and its affiliates on 26 March to call on the business community to cease its campaign against waterfront safety reforms.

ACCI has intervened in the development of the national stevedoring code of practice (NSCOP), which followed a spate of deaths on the waterfront over the past 10 years. The NSCOP seeks to create a uniform national set of safety guidelines for stevedoring and is the result of several years’ collaboration between Safe Work Australia, the state regulators, the MUA and industry representatives.

MUA national secretary and ITF president Paddy Crumlin commented: “It's a disgrace that we are out having to argue that workers' lives and safety matter in the twenty-first century.

“The arguments from the employers' association that there shouldn't be consultation with workers on safety, that there shouldn't be laws just guidelines, is a nineteenth century way of viewing the workplace.

“Wharfies are fourteen times more likely to die at work than the average Australian worker - for employers to argue that we need to wind back the laws is both radical and absurd.”

International solidarity for Honduran Dockers defending their rights

http://www.itfglobal.org/news-online/index.cfm/newsdetail/8730

28 March 2013

ITF-affiliated unions in Central America have carried out solidarity actions at Honduran embassies in defence of the human and union rights of workers at Puerto Cortes.

Since the coup d'état in Honduras in 2012, dockworkers have reported a militarisation process in the port, apparently with the aim of forcing full or partial privatisation of Puerto Cortes. On February 1 2013, the government officially announced the concession of the port to the Philippine consortium International Container Terminal Services, although there are legal proceedings implemented by different organisations, including the ITF-affiliated Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Empresa Nacional Portuaria (SITRAENP).

Honduras has ratified ILO Conventions 87 and 98, relating to freedom of association and collective bargaining. However, ITF affiliates SITRAENP and Sindicato Gremial de Trabajadores del Muelle (SGTM) have repeatedly stated that the Honduran government is violating these agreements.

Considering these violation allegations and the refusal of the government to negotiate with unions, ITF-affiliates in Central America decided to carry out solidarity actions before Honduras embassies in the region, delivering a document demanding respect for freedom of association and the current collective agreement as well as their opposition to the unilateral privatisation of port services.

The actions were held simultaneously in Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Some members met consuls and embassy representatives and the activities were widely reported by media in the region.

Antonio Fritz, Regional Secretary of ITF Americas said: “Similar processes of privatisation have been done behind the backs of the union and as a result have generated harmful effects, including increases in port fares, which affected port users and lower working standards for Dockers, turning out to deepening social problems in the local community. We consider that it should be a process of honest dialog, clear and observing the national legislation and the ILO Conventions.”

Find out more about the ITF GNT campaign >> http://www.itfglobal.org/dockers/gnt.cfm

LAC dockers’ unions set regional agenda at Lima meetings

http://www.itfglobal.org/news-online/index.cfm/newsdetail/8732

28 March 2013

A number of key dockers’ meetings for the ITF Latin America and Caribbean region have been taking place in Lima, Peru.

Day 1 saw women from ports in Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras and Callao in Peru discuss their concerns over unequal treatment by their employers. Discrimination, lack of training opportunities, personal safety and maternity were just some of the issues raised.

Participants ranged in port roles from clerical workers to crane operators. As well as setting out their most pressing issues to take forward for discussion at the dockers’ section meeting, delegates also spent time putting together a short film challenging the traditional image of a docker. Watch the film. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFrCTJMnq1s

Regional global network terminal (GNT) operated ports were the focus on Day 2 with additional representatives from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Costa Rica and Chile joining the delegation. Organising, privatisation, casualisation and attacks on wage levels and working conditions were top of the agenda. The delegation also spent some time on a visit to the nearby Port of Callao.

The GNT campaign is a priority for the ITF, which is working towards establishing minimum standards across each of the global employer networks through dialogue and international organising and solidarity. Find out more on the GNT campaign. http://www.itfglobal.org/dockers/gnt.cfm

Day 3, the regional dockers section conference, included a series of report backs from unions across the region and identification of priorities and an action plan setting out the way forward.

LAC regional secretary Antonio Fritz said of the three days of meetings: “This has been an opportunity for unions from across our region to come together and discuss their issues. There’s a lot to be done but outcomes here have been positive. I think unions, particularly GNT unions, have left Lima feeling that they have the backing of their regional colleagues to return to their own ports and continue to fight for the rights of their members.”