By
Rebecca Gibson |
A Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the European port sector has been established as part of the European Commission’s (EC) recent policy on social issues affecting ports and port workers.
Formally adopted on 19 June, the committee’s work programme focuses on health and safety matters associated with port work, as well as training and qualifications. It considers the impact of sulphur emission rules on port employment, the attractiveness of the sector to young workers and gender issues. The EC also expects social dialogue to deal with labour conditions in the future.
The committee will facilitate communication between trade union organisations, while representatives of European port employers including European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) will also be involved in the initiative.
“We are pleased that the social dialogue has started and we hope to reach concrete results soon that will contribute positively to our sector,” said ESPO secretary general Patrick Verhoeven, “At the same time, we must keep expectations realistic. This committee cannot and should not, replace social negotiations and collective agreements at national or local port level. It will also be extremely difficult to deal with market and competition restrictions, given the specificities of individual cases.”
A further EC research project involving the social partners will review health and safety, training and qualification challenges in EU ports.
An overall progress review of the social dialogue is scheduled for 2016.