***'TUs need international exposure'
Ishara MUDUGAMUWA
It is necessary to take the trade union movement to the international platform to enhance its effectiveness to the civil society, said Sri Lanka Nidahas Sevaka Sangamaya(SLNSS) Secretary General Leslie Devendra. He was participating at the ITF Asia/Pacific Regional Committee meeting which held yesterday at Taj Samudra Hotel, Colombo.
He also said that it is a privilege to get the support of the International Transport Worker's Federation(ITF) as it is a powerful trade union federation of the transport worker's union,
The ITF is one of several global federation unions allied with the International Trade Union Confederation.
'About 700 unions representing five million transport workers from 163 countries are members of the ITF, said SLNSS Secretary General.
'There are a large number of workers in Sri Lanka's transport sector and it is necessary to protect their rights. Trade unions have a very big responsibility to do so, he said.
FROM TRADEWINDS TODAY:
***ITF talks boycott of piracy regions
A union says any action would only take place with the co-operation of shipowners.
International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) head David Cockroft is ready to call on his members and the shipping industry to boycott the piracy danger zones off Somalia if the end of the monsoon season brings renewed attacks with an unacceptable level of risk to lives.
The monsoon, added to heightened security measures by shipowners, has seen the number of successful attacks off Somalia and the Indian Ocean slump.
But the industry is braced for renewed attacks from the end of this month that may surpass previous levels because the number of ships held by pirates has been seriously depleted.
The release of the 22,800-dwt bulker Hoang Son Sun (built 1984) on payment of a reported $4.5m ransom this week means there are now 15 ships and 321 seafarers held in Somalia, according to figures from European Union Naval Force Somalia (EU Navfor). Pre-monsoon, more than 30 ships and 700 seafarers were held hostage.
Cockroft, addressing shipowners and managers in London at a seminar arranged by the International Shipping Federation (ISF), says a boycott is a possibility.
“We may conclude that it is reckless to send ships into high-risk areas and there may be a need to boycott the region,” he said.
Surprisingly, however, the ITF secretary-general says a boycott would only be enacted with the support of owners.
“It would not be unilateral action but would need the co-operation of the industry,” he added.
The difficulty for Cockroft may come not only from opposition from shipowners but also the ITF’s affiliated unions. While the likes of the Philippines have previously hinted at a possible boycott, others — such as some East European maritime unions — are said to be against it as long as seafarers are at least given the option to leave a ship before entering the zone.
Captain Keith Blount, chief of staff at EU Navfor, told the same ISF meeting that he expected piracy attacks to increase dramatically after the monsoon.
“Any temptation to be complacent should be immediately dismissed,” he said. “We in the military are bracing ourselves for what we expect to be a busy quarter.
“Even in the relative peace and quiet of the northeast monsoon that blows through in the early part of the year, we have had little reassurance. When we looked at the figures for January and February 2011 things were very busy. That is what we expect to see again in 2012,” Blount added.
Cockroft did stir up potential conflict with owners when he called on crew to report owners that failed to adopt the security measures outlined in the industry guideline Best Management Practice (BMP) 4.
“I would like to see crew whistle-blow for failure to adhere to BMP,” he said.
BMP has been a proven method of avoiding piracy and involves measures such as reporting a ship’s position to naval forces and hardening vessels against attack. However, EU Navfor has reported that significant numbers of vessels are still failing to adopt the minimum standards and suggested that all hijacked vessels had failed to carry out the measures to some extent.
Ships spotted failing to comply with BMP in the region are already routinely reported to industry associations by EU Navfor.
Four hurt in blaze
Four people have been injured and another man is missing after a fire tore through a floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessel off Indonesia.
Indonesian police said burns suffered by the Indonesian men were severe following the incident on Friday morning on Trada Maritime's 126,000-dwt Lentera Bangsa (built 1983), which was docked at Pabelokan Water Island, 100 miles from Jakarta.
Officers evacuated the vessel, operated by China's CNOOC, but had not accounted for one crewman.
The blaze is thought to have started in a cabin and was extinguished later on Friday.
A total of 30 crew were believed to have been on board. No pollution was reported.
FROM LLOYD'S LIST:
DP World in peace talks to end Sokhna strike
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Most of Egypt’s imports from the east are imported via Sokhna.
Red Sea port closed after $5m loss of revenue
DP WORLD local management in Egypt is in negotiations to end a labour strike at its Sokhna port facilities on the Red Sea at the southern end of the Suez Canal.
Reuters quoted a Red Sea port authority official as saying that the labour strikes have cost the Dubai-based ports giant about E£30m ($5m) in lost revenue.
Most of the cargo from the east destined for Egypt is imported via Sokhna.
The strike began on Tuesday as workers pressed for hardship allowances, better wages and the dismissal of managers accused of mistreatement.
Military officers and police started clearing the port buildings of workers and proceeded to shut it down pending further instructions.
A spokesman for DP World Sohkna said: “Operations at DP World Sokhna were temporarily suspended on Friday to ensure the safety of all staff and third parties in light of labour strikes this week.
“The management is currently addressing the issue with the relevant authorities and the labour.
“We expect the situation to be resolved shortly and in the meantime our customers are fully informed and offering their full co-operation”.
Sokhna is the closest port to Cairo, with its 18m consumers only 120 km distant on a six-lane highway and extensive rail links.
As well as attracting vessels coming from Europe with cargo for Egypt, there is existing trade for empties destined for the east.
According to the DP World website, the draught at the Sokhna berths extend to 17 m, “offering excellent deep sea facilities for handling bulk cargo, containers, liquids, break-bulk, and ro-ro, in addition to all types of general cargo. Facilities for handling livestock vessels are also available”.
FROM THE SINGAPORE BUSINESS TIMES:
Somali pirates preparing for fresh raids
Analysts debate bandits' links with Islamist rebels
(NAIROBI) Somali pirates are preparing for a new raiding season, taking advantage of the calmer seas after the monsoon period, as their ties with Islamist rebels come under closer scrutiny.
Pirate gangs already hold a grim trophy haul of at least 49 vessels and over 500 hostages, according to the monitoring group Ecoterra, captured mainly through the use of small skiffs, grappling hooks and rocket-propelled grenades.
'The pirates are gearing up and preparing to send out their attack teams,' said Hans Tino Hansen, managing director of Denmark-based Risk Intelligence. Pirates try to settle ransoms and release boats towards the end of the monsoon, so as to increase resources for future attacks when a calmer ocean allows small pirate boats to travel far out to sea, Mr Hansen explained.
Piracy has flourished in war-torn Somalia, outwitting international efforts - including constant patrols by warships and tough sentencing of the pirates they capture.
In a worrying development, British holidaymaker Judith Tebbutt was seized from a luxury northern Kenyan beach resort by gunmen who killed her husband earlier this month.
Ms Tebbutt is believed to have been sold on at least twice, crossing through the Shebab-held and famine-struck south, before falling into the hands of an infamous pirate group in the Haradhere region of north-central Somalia.
Al Qaeda-inspired Shebab, who still control much of south and central Somalia, have previously condemned piracy, saying sea-bandits have a free hand only because they attack Western interests. But the exact nature of the shifting relationship between pirates and extremist rebels is 'one of the most hotly debated issues' among analysts, said J Peter Pham from the Washington-based Atlantic Council think-tank.
While some argue strong links exist and others say there are none, the truth likely lies 'somewhere in between, with clear evidence of consistent, albeit opportunistic, cooperation between the two', according to Mr Pham.
Shebab fighters pulled out of positions in the war-torn capital Mogadishu last month, losing them a key source of income. 'The loss of revenue will clearly motivate the Shebab to strengthen its links with piracy as a means of recovering assets,' Mr Pham noted.
It would be 'natural' for the Shebab to exploit 'the fear associated with it being an Al Qaeda linked group to extract the maximum ransom,' he added.
The Shebab's draconian aid restrictions are blamed for turning harsh drought across the Horn of African into famine in areas they control, with the UN warning some 750,000 people are at risk of death.
Shebab fighters have been 'cooperating with pirates for some time and, earlier this year, pocketed well over US$1 million from their share of ransoms' for five hijacked vessels in Haradhere, Mr Pham said.
But Ken Menkhaus, professor at North Carolina's Davidson College, argues reports of close connections are 'overblown, at least for now'. 'There is no question that some ransom money finds its way to Shebab ... but that is not the same as direct involvement,' Prof Menkhaus said. 'Most of the major beneficiaries from piracy continue to be political and business figures nominally, and ironically, allied to the West,' he added.
But while Shebab links add a threatening leverage in hostage negotiations, pirate gangs alone are themselves a potent threat, with the potential to attack as far east as the Maldives, and southwards to the Mozambique Channel. The European Naval force is stretched over a vast area one and half times the size of Europe, including much of the Indian Ocean, southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Anti-piracy efforts have yielded some results, with the use of both physical deterrence including armed guards, as well as the increased use of intelligence reports to avoid high-risk areas.
The rate of successful attacks has seen a 'very significant reduction', down to 15 per cent in 2011 compared to a 30 per cent rate for the same period of 2010, according to MaRisk figures compiled by Risk Intelligence. But the number of actual attempts in the period has increased by almost a third, it adds. In addition, the size of ransoms paid have steadily risen to some US$5 million for an average merchant vessel, according to Mr Hansen. 'Somali piracy is as serious as ever, just that the growth rates have flattened out,' he added. - AFP
FROM IFW:
No end in sight to Qantas strike troubles
Kizzi Nkwocha | Thu, 22 Sep 2011
Union claims Australian carrier refuses to move on pay and job security demands
Australia’s largest airline, Qantas, could find itself hit by more strike action within days over deadlocked talks on pay and conditions, a union official warned.
On Tuesday, Qantas was forced to delay or cancel 55 flights after 3,800 baggage handlers, ground staff, and freight and other transport employees stopped work for four hours at major airports around the country.
Transport Workers Union (TWU) National Secretary Tony Sheldon said meetings with Qantas in Sydney yesterday had again failed to resolve issues over pay and conditions.
“I can see that the potential [for more action] is as early as next week,” Sheldon said.
He accused Qantas of having “an absolute lack of desire” to alter its position during the past five months of negotiations.
“Quite clearly this has all the appearances of further industrial action,” he said.
However, a spokesman for Qantas said it was committed to reaching an agreement and was willing to offer improved pay and conditions, but the union’s demands for a 15% pay increase over three years were unreasonable.
“The union seems intent on holding Qantas to ransom and causing delays and disruption,” he added.
As well as pay and pension increases, ground staff want more job security built into new contracts as Qantas undertakes an Asia-focused restructure that will see 1,000 staff go.
Unions have accused Qantas, which last month doubled its annual net profit to Aus$250 million (US$257 million), of preparing to outsource jobs to cheaper labour markets in Asia to improve its bottom line.
OTHER LANGUAGES
FROM VENTIPIES.COM (SPAIN):
***La estiba busca alianzas para salvaguardar sus derechos a nivel europeo
VM, 15/09/2011
Ante la incertidumbre generada por la grave crisis económica que padece Europa, los trabajadores de los principales puertos europeos han decidido intensificar sus relaciones con el objetivo de hacer oír su voz ante cualquier posible ataque a sus derechos laborales.
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Representantes de la estiba europea en el puerto de Amberes |
Así, y como antesala a la próxima reunión de la Zona Europea del IDC (Consejo Internacional de Estibadores) que tendrá lugar entre el 21 y el 23 de septiembre en Helsinborg (Suecia), delegados de los principales sindicatos de Francia, España y Bélgica se reunieron en Amberes para analizar la actual situación del sector y defender la necesidad de impulsar el diálogo con la patronal y las diferentes administraciones europeas.
Los contactos entre responsables de la ETF (European Transport Federation) se remontan a 2003, año en que por primera vez ambas organizaciones se movilizaron conjuntamente para derrotar la Directiva Europea de Transporte que pretendía desregular la profesión portuaria, un intento que se repitió en 2006 y que también se truncó gracias a la movilización de decenas de miles de estibadores, que tuvo su colofón en una manifestación masiva ante las puertas del Parlamento Europeo en Estrasburgo en enero de 2006.
Fuentes sindicales recuerdan que ahora, sin embargo, “las amenazas no parecen provenir tanto de gobiernos empeñados en desregular como de la inestabilidad económica global o de la dependencia de grandes grupos empresariales internacionales. Este es, por ejemplo, el caso del puerto de El Pireo, donde los portuarios griegos mantienen un conflicto abierto con la naviera Cosco a causa de la negativa de ésta a permitir la afiliación sindical de sus trabajadores”.
Con el encuentro de Amberes, Coordinadora busca retomar su papel protagonista en el diseño de una red de alianzas sindicales que permita a los estibadores afrontar cualquier desafío, tanto desde el punto de vista profesional –con la creciente tecnificación de las operativas portuarias- como desde el plano estrictamente laboral. Esta estrategia se retomó a fines de 2010, cuando una delegación de estibadores españoles recorrió los principales puertos franceses e italianos del Mediterráneo, conociendo de primera mano la situación de sus trabajadores y sentando, de este modo, los pilares para adoptar acciones conjuntas.
TRANSLATION:
Stowage seeks alliances to safeguard their rights at European level
VM, 15/09/2011
Given the uncertainty generated by the economic crisis affecting Europe, workers in the major European ports have decided to intensify its relations with the aim of making their voices heard against any possible attack on their rights.
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Representatives of the European stowing the port of Antwerp
Thus, as a prelude to the next meeting of the European Zone IDC (International Longshoremen's Council) to be held between 21 and 23 September in Helsingborg (Sweden), representatives of the main unions in France, Spain and Belgium met in Antwerp to discuss the current situation of the sector and defend the need to promote dialogue with employers and the various European governments.
The contacts between those responsible for the ETF (European Transport Federation) date back to 2003, when he first moved both organizations together to defeat the European Transport Directive which sought to deregulate the profession port, an attempt that was repeated in 2006 and also cut short thanks to the mobilization of tens of thousands of longshoremen, which had its climax in a mass demonstration at the gates of the European Parliament in Strasbourg in January 2006.
Union sources recall now, however, "the threats do not seem to come from both governments committed to deregulation and the global economic instability or dependence of large international business groups. This is, for example, the case of the port of Piraeus, where the Greek port remain open conflict with the Cosco shipping company because of the refusal to allow unionization of its workers. "
With the meeting in Antwerp, Coordinator seeks to reclaim its leading role in the design of a network of alliances that would allow union longshoremen any challenge, both from a professional standpoint, with the increasing mechanization of port operations, and from the a strictly work. This strategy was revived in late 2010, when a delegation of Spanish dockers walked the main French and Italian ports of the Mediterranean, knowing firsthand the status of their workers and setting, in this way, the pillars to take joint action.
FROM DIARIO DEL PUERTO (SPAIN):
***Los portuarios europeos preparan una estrategia común para afrontar los retos del nuevo escenario económico global
15 de septiembre de 2011 Internacional
Ante la incertidumbre generada por la grave crisis económica que padece Europa los trabajadores de los principales puertos europeos han decidido intensificar sus relaciones con el objetivo de hacer oír su voz ante cualquier posible ataque a sus derechos laborales. Esta semana las organizaciones sindicales IDC y ETF se reunían en Amberes y comenzaban a trazar una estrategia común.
Diario del Puerto
Como antesala a la próxima reunión de la Zona Europea del IDC (Consejo Internacional de Estibadores) que se celebrará entre el 21 y el 23 de septiembre en Helsinborg (Suecia), delegados de los principales sindicatos de Francia, España y Bélgica se reunieron en Amberes para analizar la actual situación del sector y defender la necesidad de impulsar el diálogo con la patronal y las diferentes administraciones europeas.
Las relaciones entre responsables de la ETF (European Transport Federation) y el IDC se remontan a 2003, ahora el desafío proviene “de la inestabilidad económica global o de la dependencia de grandes grupos empresariales empresariales internacionales. Éste es, por ejemplo, el caso del puerto de El Pireo, donde los portuarios griegos mantienen un conflicto abierto con la naviera Cosco a causa de la negativa de ésta a permitir la afiliación sindical de sus trabajadores”, explican representantes del IDC.
Coordinadora a la cabeza
Con el encuentro de Amberes, Coordinadora, el principal sindicato portuario en España, ha retomado su papel protagonista en el diseño de una red de alianzas sindicales que permita a los estibadores afrontar con garantías de éxito cualquier desafío, tanto desde el punto de vista profesional como desde el plano estrictamente laboral.
TRANSLATION:
The European port prepare a common strategy to meet the challenges of global economic scenario
September 15, 2011 International
Given the uncertainty generated by the economic crisis affecting Europe workers in the main European ports have decided to intensify its relations with the aim of making their voices heard against any possible attack on their rights. This week IDC and ETF unions met in Antwerp and began to draw a common strategy.
Diario del Puerto
As a prelude to the next meeting of the European Zone IDC (International Longshoremen's Council) to be held between 21 and 23 September in Helsingborg (Sweden), representatives of the main unions in France, Spain and Belgium met in Antwerp to discuss the current situation of the sector and defend the need to promote dialogue with employers and the various European governments.
The relationship between those responsible for the ETF (European Transport Federation) and the IDC dating back to 2003, now comes the challenge "of global economic instability or dependence of large international corporate business groups. This is, for example, the case of the port of Piraeus, where the Greek port remain open conflict with the Cosco shipping company because of the refusal to allow unionization of its workers, "say representatives of the IDC.
Coordinator at the head
With the meeting in Antwerp, Coordinator, the main union port in Spain, has resumed its role in the design of a network of alliances that would allow union longshoremen deal with guarantees of success any challenge, both from a professional point of view from a strictly work.
PRESS RELEASES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 22, 2011 CONTACT: Jennifer Sargent, 503-703-2933
ILWU files civil rights lawsuit to stop police brutality in Longview, WA
TACOMA, WA – The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and ILWU Local 21 today responded to ongoing police brutality and harassment related to its labor dispute with EGT Development at the Port of Longview by filing a civil rights lawsuit against Mark Nelson, the Sherriff of Cowlitz County; Jim Duscha, City of Longview Police Chief; Cowlitz County; and the City of Longview.
“The ILWU is filing this lawsuit to stop the abuse of longshore workers and their supporters who are being violently pursued and intentionally prosecuted for exercising their free speech and associational rights,” said ILWU International President Bob McEllrath. “Longshore workers and their supporters are no longer free to move about their hometown without fear of being ambushed in front of children and families by an overzealous, out-of-control Police Chief and Sheriff. This blatant abuse of authority has to stop.”
The lawsuit was filed in United States District Court Western District of Washington on September 22, 2011. The suit is aimed at stopping a law enforcement campaign against union members and supporters that includes:
· arresting and jailing members for non-violent misdemeanor citations that ordinarily do not merit arrest let alone jail;
· acting with aggression, brutality and force when arresting members for non-violent misdemeanors without probable cause for such force and without having a reasonable suspicion that the members or supporters posed an immediate or credible threat or injury to law enforcement or any other person;
· refusing to arrest members when they voluntarily presented themselves for arrest and instead insisting on arresting them in surprise visits to their homes or in “made-for-television” style scenes;
· engaging in almost constant open and obvious surveillance of the ILWU Local 21 union hall;
· following and roughing up individuals wearing clothes bearing the ILWU name or logo and/or driving vehicles marked with the ILWU name or logo; and
· shining bright lights into union members’ homes for hours at a time late at night;
· following and conducting surveillance of union members and officials in their homes.
Leal Sundet, ILWU Coast Committeeman said, “Local union officers have tried for weeks to engage law enforcement and the Port of Longview to coordinate peaceful picketing and targeted acts of lawful and constitutionally protected public demonstrations and civil disobedience in an isolated rural area on public port property. These efforts have been rebuffed with law enforcement choosing instead to impose its own brutal campaign of retaliation and excessive force on the union and its supporters.”
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union represents 50,000 men and women on the docks, in grain terminals and in other industries in Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska and Hawaii. Union longshoremen have worked in all Northwest grain terminals for the past 80 years and recently reached a new tentative collective bargaining agreement with the region’s grain export terminals after just three days of negotiations.
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