Brave new world
Striking stevedores do nothing for a port’s reputation
Surely dockworkers around the world must be getting the message that pressure tactics have had their day... or are they still able to turn a blind eye to the big picture of economic uncertainty and lower priced alternatives?
With ships backed up waiting to berth, giving in to dockers’ demands and plumping for an easy life kept cargoes moving. But times have changed and workers need to open their eyes to the harsh reality: disrupting cargo flows one day could mean you are out of a job the next day.
In the Mediterranean, ports unable to tackle their stevedores’ unrealistic pay demands have already paid the ultimate price: lines switching to cheaper alternatives such as Tanger Med.
But should port management shoulder some responsibility for their dockers’ wayward schemes? Perhaps management need to remind unions that a free market means that callers can jump port relatively easily. It is therefore in everybody’s interest to keep customers - no ships equals no cargo, which in turn equals no need for stevedores.
The Port of Montreal found some common ground in its recent labour negotiations. Six weeks after a five-day lockout in July, longshoremen reached a four-year deal with the Maritime Employers Association promising wage increases of 1.5%-2.5%.
Where Montreal stands to gain is through “labour flexibility” and a voluntary retirement option which will allow the port to reduce the workforce while avoiding layoffs. The overriding overcome, according to the parties, is “rate stability for port users”.
It’s a nifty bit of footwork by the port, but a necessity in commercial business today. Ports can no longer be tied to outdated labour agreements that are all about giving and it’s high time that unions understood that. This is not about gaining the upper hand in labour agreements or ‘having one over’ workers. This is about commercial realities in a brave new business world.
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