Thousands protest to defeat anti-union bill
In a historic moment in the struggle of dockworkers around the globe to preserve and improve working conditions, dockworkers forced the European Parliament to reject the Bill for the European Port Services this past January.

The bill would have allowed ship crews to climb onto the dock equipment and unload the ships without using longshore labor from the port. It would have led to the deregulation of port service and the destruction of decent, stable union jobs. This while the multinational corporations admit the shipping industry is in good health.

Dockworkers rallied, struck, and made their voice heard throughout the capitals of Europe. Acting in unison, European longshore unions massed 10,000 workers from more than 150 ports around the globe in Strasbourg, France, the seat of the European parliament. Dockers in Portugal, France, Greece, Cypress, and Sweden struck for 36 hours to show their opposition to the directive. Dockers in Belgium, Holland and Finland struck for two hours in sympathy with the rallies in Strasbourg.

Many of the unions belong to the International Dockworkers Council (IDC), a grouping of longshore unions from Europe, The West Coast of the United States, Latin America, Africa and Asia. The IDC was formed to unite dockworkers around the globe and defend the longshore profession from employer attacks on unions, health and safety and working conditions.

Julian Garcia, IDC General Coordinator, summed up the impact of the actions saying, “The victory achieved in the European parliament is not a gift. It is the result of ongoing work on the docks and offices… However, there are still many voices that advocate out and out deregulation, both among politicians and employers. Now is not the time to rest.”