The Port of Vigo hosts the International Assembly of Dockworkers of Europe starting today, a meeting that gathers nearly 150 representatives from the sector from various European countries and the Spanish port network. The event, led by Antolín Goya, general coordinator of the European Dockworkers Council (EDC) and of the State Coordinator of Workers of the Sea, has social dialogue, port competitiveness, and challenges arising from the growth of maritime traffic among its main topics of debate.
The assembly includes the participation of representatives from France, Sweden, Denmark, Greece, Slovenia, Montenegro, Cyprus, Malta, and Croatia, as well as delegations from various Spanish ports. The meeting allows for the discussion of common issues related to stevedoring activity, labor relations, and the adaptation of port operations to the needs of international maritime transport.
The president of the Port Authority of Vigo, Carlos Botana, participated in the opening of the sessions alongside Antolín Goya. During his speech, Botana expressed his satisfaction with the holding of this international meeting at the port facilities in Vigo and defended the role of stevedoring companies and their workers in the functioning of the logistics chain and in the economic activity linked to the port.
Both officials agreed on the importance of maintaining channels of dialogue between workers and port authorities to face the changes experienced by the sector. In particular, they related the cooperation between the different parties to the capacity to respond to the increase in traffic and the operational demands posed by maritime activity.
The president of the Port Authority referenced the difficulties involved in managing the growth of merchandise movements recorded at the Port of Vigo in recent years. In this context, he acknowledged the participation of stevedoring workers in responding to the operational needs arising from that increase in activity.
Botana advocated for the continuity of joint work with dockworkers as a way to address the problems associated with port growth and competition from other international markets. As he explained, the collaboration maintained so far has allowed for overcoming complex situations and relating the evolution of the activity to job creation and its effects on the economy.
The port manager also referred to the characteristics of the goods that transit through the facilities in Vigo, with special attention to cars and fish products, two segments of high added value within the port's activity. In this sense, he pointed out that stevedoring operations play an essential role in handling these goods and in the functioning of the associated logistics chains.
«The work you do is key,» Botana stated before the representatives of the workers, while insisting on the need to maintain a coordinated relationship between the Port Authority and the dockworkers' group.
The president of the Port of Vigo linked this collaboration to the challenges posed by international competition and the need to respond to changes in trade flows and port operations. «We have many challenges ahead, and to face them, it is essential that we work together,» he affirmed.
For his part, Antolín Goya shared the importance attributed to social dialogue as a tool to address the needs of the sector, particularly in scenarios of increasing activity. The presence of delegations from different European countries places these issues in an international context, where port workers share experiences related to the organization of stevedoring and the conditions under which their activity takes place.
The celebration of the assembly in Vigo thus brings together union and port representatives around issues related to employment, job stability, the evolution of traffic, and the competitiveness of maritime facilities, with special attention to cooperation among the various agents involved in the loading and unloading operations of goods.
