Dear All
This up date is most probably the last up data you may read before Tuesday the 25th. Many of you will only read this on Monday. As usual a print out of this e-mail will be faxed to all EU affiliates, together with some documents which are not available in e-format.
1. From Portugal we received the message that the Portuguese Dockers affiliate will call for a strike of three hours between 13. 00 and 16. 00 hr. In accordance with Portuguese law an official warning has been sent to the employers and the government. A copy will be attached to the fax.
2. The T&G informed us that they will organise extensive enlightening sessions in all UK ports and certainly in the major ports. They follow the model as planned in the Netherlands and Belgium and more or less in German ports.
3. Our Finnish affiliate told me that the Finnish Municipal Workers’ Union (with some members in some ports) will join the strike action in Finland.
4. Following the official announcement by our Dutch affiliate on their planned activities in the coming week ( because of the size of the ports they have to spread their activities over three or even four days) three employers, Norfolk Line, P&O North Sea Ferries and Maersk Delta (container terminal) have sent identical letters to the union urging the union to withdraw their plans for canteen meetings. The employers have threatened to refuse to pay the hours the workers might stay in the canteens for discussion. This is the first contra attack by employers. As usual this kind of messages may have the opposite effect.
5. Having mentioned Maersk, I would like to inform you that a ship most probably charted by Maersk, the m. v. Paul Rickmers, ((1156 TEU) is underway to France. Information provided by the Canadian ITF Inspectors indicates that seafarers on board of this ship had to sign an agreement by which they are obliged to carry out certain cargo handling activities. The contract even seems to mention the payment for those activities. Our French Inspectorate will visit the ship of course and will report as soon as possible. From our own data base we already know that the ship sails the Luxemburg flag and is not covered by an ITF approved agreement. The beneficial owner is Rickmers Reederei Gmbh & Cie from Hamburg, Germany. In case this ship ever calls a port in your country it might be worth to seriously examine the ship and the way cargo is being handled.
6. Following my message to our Inspector in Malta on the announcement by the Cyprus union to participate in the action day, we received a response from Malta that, although information was only given yesterday, they too will try to organise some actions next Tuesday.
7. Finally: my up date of last Monday contained a few words on the serious developments in the USA and the possible consequences for our action day. As I did not receive any indication from any affiliate that they were considering to stop preparations for the Action Day the Secretariat continued to coordinate and assist you in preparing the actions. Nevertheless I need to emphasis that during the coming weekend or the first days of next week we may see a further escalation resulting in military actions. If I still would have been a trade union official in my ‘own’ port I certainly would not ignore those developments when addressing port workers, without making this the major issue of the discussions, unless the port workers would want to do that. Everybody will have their own personal feelings on what is going on and ignoring those feelings or ignoring the casualties in New York and Washington and the grief of the families of the victims of the attacks on the 11th of September, not to mention what may happen in the near future, would look like we trade unionists were ignoring reality, which we are not. I wish you all wisdom and strength when carrying out your duties in coming days.
Regards, Kees Marges.
