It is official. Loyola de Palacio’s final act as European Transport Commissioner was the imposition of a Directive on port services which completely ignored the opinion of the workers, who have not even been consulted regarding its content. This new Directive thus contains the same problems as the previous one, which was rejected by the European Parliament in November 2003, less than a year ago. De Palacio will leave her post on 1 November and will be replaced by the Frenchman Jacques Barrot, who will certainly come up against the strong opposition of dockworkers from all over Europe. The International Dockworkers Council (IDC), an organisation which in Europe brings together the dockworkers of Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Spain, France, Greece, England, Italy, Portugal and Sweden, does not rule out further action, in both the docks and the official offices in Brussels and Strasbourg.
Excluded. That is how dockworkers all over Europe feel after the European Commission’ announcement of a new Directive concerning access to port services. For Loyola de Palacio, workers do not appear to have a voice or a vote. This attitude led to the failure of the first Directive, and if this authoritarian stance is maintained, this failure will happen again. The IDC has not been consulted and any point with regard to the contents of this new Directive. This is particularly worrying when the organisation’s high level of representation is considered.
The IDC, which is present in ten European countries and represents over 60, 000 dockworkers around the world, wishes to declare the following:
1. - The construction of Europe cannot take place while ignoring workers. The need to regulate the port sector involves improving health and safety conditions, job stability and creation, and respect for trade union freedom. Private interests must not prevail over collective ones.
2. - Loyola de Palacio has imposed a personal vision less than two weeks before leaving her post, and without consulting the workers involved. This is foolish. The resources of the European Transport and Energy Commission should not be squandered on personal projects destined for failure. It is necessary that the future Commissioner, Jacques Barrot, reopens the path of dialogue with the with the workers’ trade union representatives, so that together, they can contribute to the development of the sector and the welfare of the population of Europe.
3. - If the same errors as in the previous Directive are repeated (mainly “selfhandling”), the IDC will challenge this new Directive with the same vigour as previously, if not more. The workers’ victory in November 2003 was a milestone in the history of European portworkers, as workers from different countries had never before come together with a common objective. Today, the IDC is an experienced organisation, deeply convinced of its possibilities for success. If the worst portents come true, if the new Directive does indeed ignore and exclude workers, action by the dockers is guaranteed.
