Dark year for dockers safety

Dockworkers, families and unions have mourned colleagues, friends and relatives following the deaths of workers in the ports of Antwerp, Bilbao, Bremerhaven, Helsinki, Oxelösund, Sines and Valencia.

Union bosses are damning of the industry, citing increased pressure on dockworkers as a key factor in the number of accidents.

Terje Samuelsen, ETF Dockers’ Section chair said: “We are experiencing growing pressure on dockworkers, who are demanded to be more and more productive.

“Time pressures plays a significant role in safety because there is a tendency to overlook procedures that would allow preventing a certain number of accidents.”

“We believe there is a safety emergency that must be tackled,” he added.

Rapid changes in the industry are also to blame according to Torben Seebold, vice-chair of the ETF Dockers’ Section.

Speaking at a recent stakeholder conference on 3 December, he said: “In a context where vessels’ size is growing, cargo volume is not increasing and ships are not full, it is legitimate and urgent for the industry to dialogue and act.”

“Port employers are pushed to cut their costs and in the end workers pay the highest contribution, in terms of job security and working conditions, as pressure on them is increasing.”

“Decisions on the sector can’t be left to bankers and private equity funds,” he concluded.