I think it is appropriate to make a comment on the recent discussion on the list between Peter Shaw of the Swedish Dockworkers Union and ITF Dockers Sections secretary Kees Marges.
First of all there is no disagreement about the seriousness of the threat against the European dockers and their trade unions. The proposed EU directive on “Market access to port services” is nothing but a most ideological document written and promoted by neoliberals, the shipping industry and other opponents of organised labor. The IDC as well as the ITF have made the position of the unionized European port- and dockworker very clear using different tactics such as going through the documents to argue from a legal point of view, making demands on a social dialogue in the Port Industry, visiting the European Parliament to talk to different politicians and much more.
To me the IDC as well as the ITF has taken on this challenge in the most serious way and without any attempts to try to make organisational benefits from this campaign. This is the time for the European dockers to stand united and not diveded becaiuse of narrowminded prestige.
There was a discussion at the ILWU International Dockers Solidarity Conference on the tactics to be used to change the proposed directive in first hand between Peter Shaw and Kees Marges. Kees Marges declared that the ITF intended to take action and Peter Shaw only thought that this maybe was a bit premature (which also was an IDC point of view). However we declared from the Swedish Dockworkers Union that if there will be action taken by the ITF-affiliated unions we (=the Swedish dockworkers Union) will not stand at the sideline just watching.
Our union has decided to take action on the 25th of September - not because of being asked to do so by the ITF, but because we find the fight against the EU directive to important to be left to prestige between different trade unions. We need to show the shipping industry, politicians and whoever that we are really determind to fight for our cause.
Kees Marges is refering to a contribution to this list by Peter Shaw in which Peter is describing what is going to happen on the 25th of September in European ports and Kees is taking that as an official declaration of the IDC. Nothing could be more wrong! Peter has signed on behalf of the Swedish Dockworkers Union and nothing else because we have made a decision to go out on a 2 hour strike on the 25th. The IDC has not passed any decision on this matter and will not do so until this weekend (22nd and 23rd of September).
I think it is good that a lot of IDC unions have passed their independent decisions to be out on the 25th to show our opponents that on this issue we are really united no matter affiliation and let us leave it there!
Bjorn A. Borg
IDC European Coordinator
Swedish Dockworkers Union President
