EU reaches preliminary deal on new port, shipping rules
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP)
The European Union on Tuesday reached a preliminary deal which would allow some ships to handle its own cargo in ports, a move heavily opposed by dockworkers in the major European ports.
The deal, which still needs further approval from the European Parliament and the member states, would partly meet the EU's demand for more liberalization in the shipping industry by opening up key sectors for competition.
But dock workers, who already went on strike in major ports across the European Union on Monday, oppose far-reaching liberalization , fearing it would cut their pay, diminish the quality of services and severely hamper port safety.
In an immediate reaction, dockworkers in the Belgian North Sea port of Zeebrugge staged a wildcat strike as soon as the tentative agreement became known.
On Monday, dockworkers from Spain to the Netherlands also staged a one-day strike and a rowdy demonstration in Rotterdam, Europe's biggest port drew some 8,000 port workers.
The parliament committee and representatives from the 15 member states agreed Tuesday for the first time to endorse some cargo self-handling, allowing crews on ships to cargo from and onto the docks.
Under the deal, loading and unloading of ships will only be permitted in future where shipping lines use their own maritime personnel, said Georg Jarzembowski, the reporter of the parliamentary committee.
Attempting to soothe union concerns, Jarzembowski said the deal would only affect a small portion of cargo vessels. ``Big container ships will, as before, require the services of land-based workers from port enterprises.''
Stevedores fear that losing their current protected position would open the way for the introduction of cheap labor from abroad to grab their jobs.
Under Tuesday's deal, international shipping companies would not be allowed to send their own dockworkers around Europe to handle the loading wherever one of the company's ships dock.
Only the crew on board would be allowed to do so and EU nations would be allowed to further impose some social and employment restrictions.
Since the parliamentary committee only approved the deal with an 8-to-7 majority, it is still unclear whether the deal would be approved by the full legislature.   rac