The European Dockworkers Council (EDC) will hold its 2026 General Assembly in Vigo from October 13 to 15, a meeting that will bring together trade union representatives from port dockworkers from France, Denmark, Sweden, Slovenia, Greece, Montenegro, Portugal, Cyprus, Malta, and Spain.
The meeting will be chaired by Antolín Goya, general coordinator of the EDC and general coordinator of the State Coordinator of Sea Workers. During the three days, the delegations will analyze various issues related to working conditions and the evolution of European port activity, as well as define the organization's work plan for the upcoming term.
Among the main issues included in the agenda is the European emissions trading system (ETS). Union representatives will address the definition of a common position on the application of this system to maritime transport and its possible effects on the activity of European ports and port employment.
The meeting will also serve to coordinate the lines of action of the organizations integrated into the EDC concerning this community regulation, within the union strategy that the organization has been developing before the European institutions.
The technological transformation of ports will represent another of the work blocks. The delegations will analyze the development of artificial intelligence and automation processes at the terminals, as well as their implications on employment, the organization of operations, occupational safety, and the working conditions of dockworkers.
The agenda of the General Assembly will also include the role of ports in the defense strategies of the European Union and the increase of their use within policies related to mobility and military capacities. The unions will examine the possible consequences of these changes on labor relations and the rights of port workers.
During the three days of meetings, the EDC will also address the situation of dock work in the different represented countries and the common issues affecting the future of European ports.
The General Assembly will allow for establishing the joint union strategy and the action program of the European Dockworkers Council for the upcoming term, within the current mandate of Antolín Goya, as well as coordinating the position of participating organizations regarding the regulatory, technological, and operational changes affecting the European port sector.
