Victory for seafarers’ safety as Dutch court sides with unions on container lashing Unions have secured an important victory in the campaign for seafarers’ safety this week as a Dutch court has ruled that ship managers, ship owners and charterers must honour a clause that prevents seafarers from being assigned dangerous lashing work where professional dock workers are available. Press Release 8 Jul 2022
ETF supports Italian unions on the issue of self-handling in ports The ETF Dockers’ Section has sent a letter to the Italian Ministry of Transport in support of the requests of its Italian affiliates, asking for rules that clarify the problem of self-handling in ports. News 23 Jun 2020
The future of European Shipping needs to be social! Last week, European Shipping Week 2020 was held in Brussels, organised by the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA). This year, the ETF Maritime Transport section took part in a variety of ways, with trade union representatives from nine different countries attending and contributing to the programme. Event 25 Feb 2020
Dockers explain: Why is the Dockers’ Clause important? On 1 January 2020, the Dockers’ Clause came into effect, confirming that lashing is dockers’ work. To better understand the importance of this new clause and its consequences, we spoke to dockers around Europe. We asked them about their work, the current situation in their countries and what the new arrangement means for them. Worker's Story 13 Jan 2020
Dockers’ Clause: A deal is a deal – and we are defending it! On 8 January, dockers, shop stewards, trade unions and legal advisors from ten different countries gathered in Rotterdam and pledged to take action to ensure that the new Dockers’ Clause is correctly implemented. The attendees of the gathering formed an international team of legal advisors to prepare for action against shipping companies that do not comply with the Dockers’ Clause. Press Release 9 Jan 2020
Lash do it! – Dockers Clause comes info effect on 1 January 2020 On 1 January, a ‘Dockers Clause’ of the IBF framework agreement comes into effect. As a consequence, dockers will (again) be doing the lashing for the ships covered by the IBF Collective Bargaining Agreement. News 13 Dec 2019
Lashing Campaign Lashing is a complex and hazardous task in ports, but a vital one to ensure that cargo, ships and seafarers reach their destination safely. That is why seafarers’ collective bargaining agreements signed by the ITF and its affiliate unions include a clause stating that lashing can only be done by qualified dockers unless otherwise agreed by the local dockers’ unions. Campaign 6 Aug 2018