Portuguese rapid-fire dock strikes out to quell EU demands for competition

A PORTUGUESE austerity measure to open dock work up to non-union labour has been greeted with a planned one-hour strike September 25 and the support of the International Dockworkers Council (IDC).

The date is also the first day of a European Commission conference to assess the results of an independent survey on greater port liberalisation within the EU, reports London's Containerisation International.

The IDC will use the occasion to again "denounce the anti-social policy led by Europe and its member states that still want to liberalise port services despite failing to achieve this in 2003 and 2006".

Said Containerisation International: "The EC may choose to use the conference to open up EU ports to more competition, the first two having failed before on the grounds that member states deemed there was enough competition, so more liberalisation within ports was not required."

Portuguese dockers first walked out on August 14 in protest over the government's proposed port reform legislation.

More strikes are planned with a two-day pilots strike from midnight September 25 to midnight September 27. A longshore strike from midnight September 25 until 8am September 29 is also being considered.