European parliament rejects ports directive

The European parliament in Strasbourg has voted against a directive that would have liberalised port services, in spite of a compromise agreement it had reached with the European Council in September.

The compromise agreement had focused on key controversial points, the main one being that it would have allowed shipping lines to use their own crew and equipment for port handling.

The General Workers' Union yesterday welcomed the outcome. The proposed directive was defeated by 229 votes to 209.

"It would have led to the establishment of ports of convenience, with all the disadvantages of some shipping lines going to ports which allowed them to operate this way," the secretary of the GWU's maritime section, Manwel Zammit, said.

The GWU has worked with the International Transport Federation and the European Transport Federation to fight the directive. On Wednesday, it organised a 12-hour stoppage at Grand Harbour and the Freeport, coinciding with similar stoppages in other European ports.

About 800 port workers would have been hit by the directive, as it would also have extended to pilotage services.

The European Council would now need to re-start the entire procedure should it wish to present an amended directive: it took three years for the defeated directive to reach the parliament.

In the meantime, the GWU has started preliminary talks with the government on local port reform, based on the outcome of the consultative work done by the Ports Reform Commission.

Talks have dealt with the procedure to be followed and the setting up of steering committees, expected to include the Freeport Corporation.