MADRID: With the sector’s reform already approved by the Government and pending ratification in Congress, trade unions and stevedores have resumed their negotiations exactly a week before the start of the scheduled port strikes (on 6 March).
The negotiations had been suspended last Wednesday at the request of the stevedores, whose main demands are the protection of the jobs of the 6,150 stevedores working in the ports, as well as of their working conditions with the creation of a registry or with their subrogation.
The government approved the reform on Friday without considering these requests, arguing that the EU does not allow it. In fact, the EU is the one that has to approve the sector’s restructuring to prevent Spain from being fined for contravening Community legislation.
For this reason, the Ministry of Public Works encouraged trade unions and stevedores to resolve this and other claims from the sector which have no place in the Royal Decree Law with which the reform was approved. To facilitate these talks, it also brought in a mediator.
On Friday, following the approval of the reform in the Council of Ministers, the Minister of Public Works, Íñigo de la Serna, called on the two parties to “intensify the negotiations,” convinced that “with will, there should be a way to find commom ground.”
Reaching an agreement during this week could prevent the three weeks of strikes called by stevedores, starting next Monday, 6 March, which could have a serious impact on the economy.
Stevedores are in charge of the loading and unloading of goods entering and leaving the country by sea; an annual volume worth around 200,000 million Euro, accounting for 86% of exports and 60% of imports.
