EUROPEAN DOCKERS GO ON PORT STRIKES

EUROPEAN DOCKERS GO ON PORT STRIKES    Dockworker unions affiliated to the European Transport Workers Federation have started a series of port strikes to protest against the European Commission’s port directive designed to liberalize port services.
   The three unions of Belgian port workers — BTB, ACV-Transcom and ACLVB — went on full-blown strikes in the five Belgian ports on Friday.
   “It’s been fully followed in all Belgian ports,” a spokesman for the European Transport Workers Federation said. The ports affected are Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, Ostende and Zeebrugge.
   Several national union organizations affiliated to the European federation have also decided to call for labor actions before a meeting of the European council of ministers planned on June 17.
   “In Germany actions will take place on June 14, for different periods of time and also involving the pilotage services,” the European federation said. “The Nordic affiliates (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark) have also decided to converge with actions on June 14, which will vary, according to the local conditions, from 2 to 4 or even 8 hours.”
   At a recent meeting at the European Transport Workers Federation, in Brussels, union delegates decided that, in case this proposal is adopted at the council on June 17, a Europe-wide action day should be called, as a repeat of a similar action on Sept. 25 last year.
   Trade unions are concerned about “the possible social and economic consequences” of the proposed port reform, the European federation said.