In the framework of an EU co-funded project jointly run by ETF and Syndex, workers’ representatives from ETF Maritime Transport and Dockers affiliates met in Hamburg on 14 and 15 June 2018 for a Seminar to get training on European Works’ Councils (EWCs).
Multinationals in the maritime sectors take decisions that have more and more impact at transnational level. EWCs are a tool that can help addressing such issues and their impact on workers. In the transport sector there is a huge potential for establishing new EWCs – some talk of more than 80 new EWCs that could emerge and ETF is committed to bringing out this potential.
In the framework of the closer cooperation established by the ETF Maritime Transport and Dockers’ Section, the focus of the workshop was also on the possibility to establish EWCs in those companies that, due to vertical integration, are present both in shipping services and port operations.
On the Dockers’ side, the workshop was an occasion to take a further step in the dialogue between the unions organising workers in the Eurokai group, which had been launch last May in Rome.
On the Seafarers’ side, unions’ representatives identified specific companies that would met the eligibility criteria for establishing EWCs. This was considered as very positive development given that we were coming a long way: until recently, Member States were indeed given the possibility to exclude seafarers from the scope of the EWC Directive.
EWC project website: https://moretransportewcs.eu