Wed Mar 28, 2001
SANTOS, Brazil - All but two container ships have departed the Port of Santos ahead of what could be a tense, drawn-out protest by dockworkers.
Longshoremen at the port are refusing to implement legislation that transfers the power to appoint dockworkers to a new workers’ pool called OGMO, which is financed by the private sector and whose authority has been challenged by organized labor. Unions have had the authority to appoint dockworkers for 70 years, but legislation passed in 1993 calls for the transfer.
“This may lead to civil war. We can’t hold back any more,” said Nilton Pereira,48, who has worked at the port for 27 years.
Police forces have been deployed in the pier and around the city since Monday night to prevent a repeat of past troubles, but only a few minor clashes were reported Tuesday morning as dockworkers walked off the job.
Protesters early Tuesday afternoon had gathered at a downtown square in front of the City Hall. Local politicians support their demands and have criticized privatization of many areas of the port. Most shops in the vicinity closed for the day and others are operating behind police protection.
Telma de Souza, a federal deputy from Santos, said the government might be ready to finance a $30 million voluntary buyout package to defuse the crisis, but that would only reduce the labor force by less than half. About 11,500 workers are on union rolls in Santos.
The union action, if prolonged, could complicate ship line operations and lead to cancellations of calls in Santos, Brazil’s largest port.
An MOL ship reportedly left 30 containers behind so that it could leave the port early Tuesday. Crowley American Transport has one vessel held up in a private terminal.
Maritime authorities have said that if the protest lasted for more than 24 hours, they may allow private terminals to hire non-union workers to load and unload vessels. But the industry fears this may lead to confrontation.
“I can’t see a solution to this problem without a head-on clash,” a local shipping executive said.
Wed Mar 28, 2001
SANTOS, Brazil - Two container vessels left Santos early Wednesday morning headed for the Port of Rio de Janeiro, some 300 miles up the coast, as longshoremen continued their protest here for the second consecutive day.
Talks were scheduled for midday local time between port authorities and trade unions, but few expected a quick resolution of the dispute that centers on the control of labor appointment at the docks.
Carriers said they would decide by Wednesday afternoon whether to divert incoming vessels to other ports.
“We kind of expected it,” said a source at Crowley American Transport, which had to leave some 50 containers behind in Santos. “We don’t have any other ship scheduled before Monday.”
If the conflict drags on, Crowley may be willing to seek alternatives. The company does not yet call at Sepetiba, a new terminal near Rio. “Maybe this time will be the time,” said the source.
Zim Israel Navegacao said it has one vessel waiting to berth, and another one scheduled for midnight tonight.
“We have talks with all our partners in the joint services. If the situation is not resolved by 3 p. m., we’ll divert the vessel to Buenos Aires,” said Dilmar Birkett, operations manager for Zim in Santos.
“The port of Santos has come to a point where it has to decide whether it wants to be a decent port or if we are going to choose another port,” said an executive from another company.
The situation was reported normal in other Brazilian ports, as dockworkers in Santos refuse to implement 1993 legislation that takes away some of their privileges. A $35 million buyout package is under discussion in Santos. Last year, a private group failed to obtain some $200 million in funds in order to reduce the workforce by half.
Mon Mar 26, 2001
SANTOS, Brazil - Casual dockworkers have vowed to bring the Port of Santos to a standstill on Tuesday as labor attempt to keep control of how job assignments are handed out.
A dedicated workers’ pool known as OGMO is soon due to assume full responsibility of how casual dockworkers are assigned in at the port. But the Longshoremen National Federation has rejected the move.
“We are not going to accept OGMO’s appointment,” the union’s Rodney Oliveira said.
Previous attempts to break the union monopoly and to implement legislation dating from 1993 have led to violent confrontations.
“This is the most critical moment since the start of the crisis,” a local shipping executive said.
The union is scheduled to demonstrate Monday afternoon near the Santos City Hall in a bid to woo support from local politicians, who have supported the union’s cause in the past.
More serious clashes are feared on the dock Tuesday morning, and OGMO officials have secured police protection in order to avoid an incident similar to protests last year, when angry dockworkers accosted several OGMO staff.
