Dockworkers today agreed to end their three-day strike at the Port of Santos after concessions were granted to their trade union.
Union delegates have won the right to monitor the appointment of casual port workers, even as a workers pool controlled by the private sector has officially assumed those duties.
“Twenty longshoremen will be hired to appoint casual workers. This is the only way,” a spokeswoman for the pool known as OGMO said.
Dockworkers protested on Monday as the power to appoint longshoremen was transferred from the union to OGMO, as called for in a port privatization act passed in 1993.
Longshoremen represent the most numerous categories of casual workers in the port and have used their influence to defend what they consider to be a historical right. They used violence and intimidation to prevent OGMO officers to assume their task.
Discreet negotiations between private port operators, OGMO and workers on Wednesday afternoon paved the way for a resumption of activities. The mayor of Santos and the port administration Companhia Docas do Estado de Sao Paulo (Codesp) also took part in the conciliatory meeting. The union obtained the right to assist in the appointment of casual longshoremen, in partnership with OGMO, and therefore preserved some of its privileges.
Private operators considered the concession, which has already been granted in ports such as Rio de Janeiro, as the only way to break the deadlock and resume port operations.
“OGMO is in control,” the spokeswoman said.
A dozen vessels had been stranded at the pier since Monday. Another five were expecting to berth and may now enter the port normally. A long conflict would have caused major inconvenience to shippers.
Still, the concession may have dashed hopes for reducing labor costs in the long term.
