We focus on three goals:
Shaping the future of port work as automation and digitalisation transform the industry.
Making policies and legislation fairer for port workers.
Strengthening our members through training, campaigns and solidarity.
As the voice of port workers in Brussels, the ETF Dockers’ Section defends workers’ interests in EU policymaking, coordinates international actions and disputes, and builds union capacity through research and training. We also take part in the EU Social Dialogue Committee for Ports, working with employers’ organisations to improve conditions across the sector.
We coordinate closely with the ITF Dockers’ Section to ensure European dockers are part of a strong, global movement.
Shaping the Future of Port Work
The ETF Port Section leads policy and action on automation, campaigning for a socially sustainable approach to technological change. We equip our affiliates to respond to automation’s impact on jobs, union organising, and collective bargaining.
We also advocate for fair labour organisation in ports—through research, protecting workers’ rights during operator changes, and pushing for policies that put people at the centre of technological developments.
Improving health and safety remains central to our work. Through the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee, we engage with employers to implement priorities that make Europe’s ports safer and fairer for workers.
Campaigning for Fair Shipping and Port Policies
Together with the ETF Maritime Transport Section, we push for fairer EU and national policies on ports and shipping—covering state aid, infrastructure financing, concessions, and the impacts of technological and market change on port labour.
Strengthening International Solidarity
Solidarity is at the heart of the dockers’ movement. The ETF Dockers Section mobilises affiliates to support each other in disputes and build a strong base for European campaigns. We also prioritise involving young workers and women, and foster company networks and regional cooperation in strategic areas.
Social dialogue brings together workers’ and employers’ organisations—known as social partners—for structured discussions and joint action. The ETF Dockers Section is a recognised social partner in the ports sector.
In 2013, ETF, IDC, FEPORT and ESPO, with European Commission support, created the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Ports (SSDC). Through the SSDC, social partners work to improve dockers’ working and living conditions while strengthening the competitiveness of EU ports.
Priorities include health and safety, training, women’s participation in ports, and shaping the sector’s future in a changing shipping landscape. Social partners also run joint EU-funded projects to support this work.
The ETF Dockers’ Section represents port and terminal workers all over Europe. Our affiliates democratically decide on the Section’s positions and activities. A representative Steering Committee takes the lead on strategic decisions, and the ETF Secretariat in Brussels provides political and practical support.
We encourage all our members to make full use of this new AI bargaining toolkit for ports in their national activities.
