Strike against proposed port services Directive

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On 25 September 2001, the Finnish Transport Workers' Union (AKT) participated in a Europe-wide dockworkers' day of action, by organising a two-hour work stoppage. The action was in protest over a proposed EU Directive on market access to port services, which as well as opening up competition would permit ship's crews to perform work hitherto done by dockers.

On 25 September 2001, the Finnish Transport Workers' Union (Auto-ja Kuljetusalan Työntekijäliitto, AKT) staged a work stoppage in Finnish ports as part of a European dockworkers' day of action called by the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF). The day of action involved strikes, stoppages and meetings, lasting from two to three hours, in most EU Member States. The Finnish stoppage lasted for two hours.

The day of action expressed opposition to a proposed EU Directive on market access to port services, issued by the European Commission in February 2001. The aim of the proposal is to open up competition in port services by establishing clear rules and setting up an open and transparent procedure for access to these services. Among the provisions of the draft Directive is a requirement that 'self-handling' should be allowed and that self-handlers should be treated neither more nor less favourably than other providers of a comparable service. Self-handling describes a situation where a port user provides for itself one or more categories of port services, for example ferry operators carrying out their own loading operations. Ship's crews could thus take over dockers' work.

In the view of AKT, enforced competition in port services would open the way for the clandestine economy and criminality. At the same time, the level of safety at harbours would decrease, since it could be possible for parties to enter this area of work, whose professional skills would not correspond with the qualifications required. AKT sees dock work as part of a well-functioning transport network, which should not be destabilised by allowing unqualified persons to do the work.

AKT is afraid that the liberalisation of the port services market would lead to downgrading of terms of employment and, in the long run, to the establishment of 'flag of convenience harbours' (with lower or no taxes). According to the union, the proposed Directive is in contradiction with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) dock work Convention (No. 137), which provides that permanent workers should be given priority when offering work at docks.

The Europe-wide day of action aimed to put pressure on the European Commission and other EU institutions to withdraw the proposal and to reconsider whether the Directive is necessary at all. According to ITF, echoing AKT, 'the introduction of measures proposed in the draft Directive would encourage shippers to demand lower tariffs and prices via unsafe working, relaxed safety standards and the use of untrained personnel - leading to the creation of dangerous and substandard ports.'

According to the Confederation of Finnish Industry and Employers (Teollisuuden ja Työnantajain Keskusliitto, TT), the Finnish stoppage on 25 September involved irresponsible use of the right to free demonstration, in an attempt to limit competition.