Italians to introduce port labour reforms

The changes would take away job guarantees, which were introduced in the mid-1990s as compensation for removing total control over labour supply from the unions. Under proposed changes, private stevedores and terminal operators can use their own labour, although must continue to use local port companies to handle peak surges. Existing port labour companies have an effective monopoly in this area, which has resulted in Italian ports being the most expensive and least productive in the Mediterranean.