IDC to respond to EU flexibility plans

Terry Teague (Secretary, IDC)
25 Oct. 2000

Merseyside Port Shop Stewards &
Liverpool Dockworkers
29 Hope Street,
Liverpool, Merseyside L1 9BQ
England

Tel: (+44) (0)151 709 2148
Fax: (+44) (0)151 709 5596

e-mail: dockers@gn.apc.org
web site: http//www.gn.apc.org/initfactory

The EU is preparing legislation to increase flexible working, affecting cargo handling services in each European port or country. It aims to to promote the short distance carriage of goods between European ports by guaranteeing a greater policy of openness, eliminating “inflexibilities” in order to make maritime transportation “more competitive”.

Plans include the exclusion of hiring of stevedores for the unloading of ships with roll-on/roll-off cargo; the authorisation of self-unloading of ships without stevedores; and freedom of operation for new cargo handling companies.

To begin discussion of the implications for European dockworkers, the International Dockworkers Council (IDC) met with EU officials and the European Federation of Transportation Workers in mid-September. An EU questionnaire has now been circulated to IDC member unions, and we are preparing a united response.

The legislative directive is being drafted by the EU Directorate General of Transportation for submission to the Commission this winter and passage through the European Parliament and Council next year.

A further directive regarding the unloading of bulk goods is due to be ratified by the Council of the European Union in December.

At our meetings in September, the IDC was represented by Julián García González (IDC General Coordinator); Patrick Minot (representative of the stevedore section of the CGT, France); Manuel Gallais (stevedore CGT); José Luis Llorca (International Relations Coordinator of the Spanish Stevedore State Organizing Committee); Victor M. Diaz, the Spanish Organizing Committee’s legal consultant on European negotiation.

The IDC delegates met with:

• Eduardo Chagas (Portugal): Member of the Governing Council of the Transportation, Energy, Infrastructure, and Information Society Section of the European Economic and Social Committee. Member of the European Federation of Transportion Workers.
• Carlos Ortiz Bru (Spain): Advisor for the Spanish Permanent Representation to the European Union. Head of Public Works and Transportation.
• Wolfgang Elsner (Germany) and Lenita Lindstroem (Finland): Head of Unit and officer, respectively, of the G3 Unit (Short Distance Carriage of Goods and Port Policy for the European Commission’s Directorate General of Transportation and Energy.
• Margarita Schinas (Greece): Deputy Chief of Cabinet to the Vicepresident and Commissioner responsible for Transportation, Energy and European Parliamentory Relations, Mrs. Loyola de Palacio.

In this first meeting with European Union, delegates sought recognition of the IDC as the trade union for the cargo handling sector, and involvement in the creation of European regulations regarding cargo handling in ports. They also sought information on the status and timescale of the Directive project.

The Directorate General of Transportation are awaiting the results of their survey (below) before drafting a text, but expect to submit a directive to the Commission between December 2000 and January 2001. Approval will take place through agreements between the European Parliament and the Council of the Union in mid-2001.

Commissioner Loyola de Palacio’s Deputy Chief of Cabinet and DGT officials accepted IDC as one of the trade union delegates with regards to cargo handling. The IDC representatives promised to submit a formal written application, remitting the dates of identification and accreditation of the incorporation of IDC as a new organisation.

The IDC delegates also met with the Secretary General of the European Federation of Transportation Workers (E. T. F), Sra. Doro Zinke, at her request. She was perfectly familiar with the incorporation of the IDC in Tenerife and the organisations and European port members. Sra. Zinke notified us of her willingness to hold talks with the Spanish and French organisations but without accepting the new reality of the IDC. Julián García and P. Minot denied such a possibility and confirmed that it is only possible to hold talks as IDC representatives unless dealing with problems that affect a country or a certain port in which case the conversations will correspond to the respective representatives.

Clearly the creation of the IDC has had as much of a positive and “stimulating” effect on the transportation trade unions as on the European Union authorities.

Our aims now are to:

• consolidate the representation of IDC before the European Commission.
• answer the survey regarding the cargo handling sector. To this purpose, the text will be sent out, contributions will be received and the IDC General Coordination will create a text that will be endorsed by the European region.
• inform the member unions of the situation.
• contact the European parliamentarians of each member state in order to present our concerns. Of particular interest is making contact with the members of the European Parliamentary Commission on Transportation.
• request a meeting with Commissioner Loyola de Palacio.
• submit all the information regarding contacts in Brussells (Commission, Parliament, Economic and Social Commission and Council) to the General Coordinator (Julián Garcia) so that we can join forces.
• Maintain the unity of IDC given the positive results that have been obtained since its incorporation, demanding as a condition for any relationship with the European Federation of Transportation Workers the acceptance of IDC as a new organisation representing the port cargo handling workers.

We have asked all unions to answer and return the following questionnaire either to Liverpool at the above address or Barcelona at the Coordinadora Office, Bureau de coordinadora, Calle del Mar 97, 08003 Barcelona. Tel: +34 93 225 25 28

e-mail: internacional@coordinadora.org

Survey that IDC must answer for the EU Commission

Questions

1. Should the proposal contain a threshold concerning the size of ports? If in the affirmative, which?

2. Which port services should be included?

3. Should the rules be identical for all port services? If not, in what way should they be treated differently?

4. How should maritime safety be taken into consideration?

5. How should environmental aspects be taken into consideration?

6. How can private and public suppliers of port services be treated equally?

7. Should self-handling be allowed? If yes, under what conditions?

8. To what extent and how should public service obligations be taken into consideration?

9. How should authorisations, concessions, licences be awarded? By whom and for how long?

10. How can “old systems” and a “new system” be reconciled?