The Indian Ocean dockworkers’ trade unions formulate a common strategy
The first meeting of Indian Ocean dockworkers’ trade unions, supported by the International Dockworkers Council (IDC), held on the island of Reunión, involved 30 delegates from the islands of Madagascar, Mayotte, Mauritius and Reunión itself. Their message is clear - the links necessary to challenge attempts to deregulate the ports successfully will be strengthened. The trade unions’ position is reflected in a Declaration stressing the need to defend the profession by means of employment and trade union training.
The joint Declaration, signed by all the trade unions present, establishes the “pressing need to stop the deregulation of port professions and the privatisation of ports”, a process which is expanding, as can be seen by the current attempt to impose a European Directive on Access to Port Services. The aim of this Directive, which has been completely rejected by the workers, is to eject professional dockworkers from ports by means of “self-handling”, i. e. the shipping companies loading and unloading their ships. By any reckoning, This proposal is absurd, as not only would it submerge the ports in total chaos, but it would also contravene Convention 137 of the ILO, which stipulates that only qualified workers can perform work in ports, as mentioned in the Declaration signed by the Indian Ocean trade unions. It is really an attempt to corner the dockworkers’ trade unions and make collective agreements worthless, without taking the human or social cost into consideration. The trade unions present on the island of Reunión stated that ports are “an essential tool in a country’s development” and therefore cannot simply be subject to laws of fierce and unfair competition.
The delegates also agreed to stress the importance of workers’ professional training, something that would enable them to adapt quickly to swift changes in their trades without to neglecting workplace safety. In order to achieve these objectives, the trade unionists also agreed to establish the necessary mechanisms to enable them to reinforce their links of solidarity, in a process which will end with their full membership of the IDC and the consolidation of their own work area, the Indian Ocean. The IDC, with a considerable presence in America, Africa and Europe, has experienced very rapid growth since it was founded in 2000, which has made it the essential benchmark in port trade unionism. The IDC currently represents over 50, 000 dockworkers around the world.
In order to shape this Declaration, the delegates agreed to create a Permanent Committee responsible for promoting trade union co-operation in two main areas: firstly, the exchange of information and a media profile; and secondly, trade union training for workers.
Strong international presence
The presence on Reunión of delegated from four different islands clearly shows the desire to create a strong trade union movement in the Indian Ocean ports. In fact, the meeting was to have been attended by representatives from ports in South Africa and the Comoros islands, but various difficulties prevented their arrival. The strike affecting South African public transport led to that country’s delegates staying at home, while the Comoros delegates had difficulties obtaining visas. However, both COSATU (the Congress of South African Trade Unions) and the CTC (Comoros Workers Confederation) have declared their support for the strengthening of links between the various dockworkers’ and transport trade unions in the Indian Ocean, and their willingness to participate in future meetings.
In South Africa, the protest covered some of the aspects deal with in the island of Reunión Declaration. The application of neoliberal policies is causing constant job losses, as can be seen by the fact that in South Africa - Africa’s leading economy - unemployment now affects 40% of the population, according to COSATU.
The situation is similar on the islands of Reunión and Mauritius, where reforms in the sugar market planned by the World Trade Organisation would cause thousands of workers to lose their jobs and destroy much of the local industry.
For the Indian Ocean dockworkers, formulating a policy of close co-operation is a priority. The dockworkers are aware that they are located in one of the key regions in international maritime traffic, as much of the goods moving from Asian ports to those of Europe and America travel through the Indian Ocean. However, the workers do not want to be the victims of growth taking place at their expense. In their final Declaration, the dockworkers’ trade unions made a commitment to “integrated regional development and international solidarity between peoples”, a path directly opposed to current economic trends. The Declaration of the island of Reunión establishes “the right of nations to govern themselves” as a fundamental right. This principle is shared by the IDC, which defends it in a framework of international solidarity.
