ITF/ETF dockers plan Unifeeder demo to say ‘cargo lashing is our work’
Hundreds of dockworkers from ITF and ETF-affiliated unions will descend on the offices of Northern European logistics company Unifeeder in Aarhus, Denmark on Friday 2 December, to continue the next stage of the ITF/ETF European Lashing Campaign. The campaign is spearhead by Danish union 3F.
A noisy and active demonstration is expected to raise the pressure on Unifeeder to make an agreement with the ITF over ensuring that lashing and unlashing work is strictly reserved for dockworkers. Dockers will come from ITF unions in Germany, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and Denmark.
ITF inspectors have identified that Unifeeder-chartered vessels are regularly failing to hiring lashing gangs in European ports and seafarers are tasked with dockers’ work. Despite notices being issued to the masters of vessels to put an end to this practice, the ITF and ETF believe that not enough changes have been made.
ITF dockers’ section vice-chair Torben Seebold said: “We have tried to have a constructive dialogue with Unifeeder about cargo lashing, but they have taken an entrenched position on this issue.
"We feel that we have little alternative but to show them how passionately our members feel about ensuring that Lashing is dock-work. We are sending out messages to all shipping lines and charterers who resist and abuse ITF agreements, that they will find themselves under increasing pressure to adhere to the agreements they sign. We are determined to win back our work and we won’t go away."
