Voices from the ETF Dockers Section Meeting 2023

5 May 2023

The ETF Dockers met in Valencia this year for their annual Section meeting on 28-29 March.

Many priorities have been discussed, and some key decisions have been made in this first in-presence meeting after the COVID-19 period, and the dockers were more pumped up than ever!

Two round tables have been organised to encourage political discussion and make the Section meeting the place where members and workers can discuss and exchange on relevant topics.

The first one, “Labour pool system in Belgium, Spain and Italy”, aimed to share knowledge about the differences and similarities among the pool systems in different countries, especially regarding the possible threats and challenges that can put the labour pool at risk. When implemented, this modern form of a labour organisation has proven its efficiency while guaranteeing social protection and job retention. The union movement is strongly committed to supporting and defending the pool schemes applied in European ports as a key to ensuring the social protection of our dockers.

The second round table, “Safety for lashing operations – sharing experiences: Belgium, Spain, The Netherlands”, had our lashers on the stage. Our dockers from The Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain explained how they daily ensure the lashing operations are performed safely and what are the main concerning issues around lashing. Their working methods may differ, but the result is the same: only qualified dockers can ensure that cargo ships and seafarers reach their destination safely. Safety is a condition of lashing operations being done only by dockers because #lashingisdockerswork.

Check out our videos from Valencia to see what the ETF Dockers are up to!