The dockworkers of the Port Employment Center (CPE) of Algeciras have gone to the polls today to elect their representatives in the primary elections of the Coordinadora union. The electoral day for the group that includes nearly 2000 dockworkers has taken place in the auditorium of the Training Center, with voting hours that extended from 07:00 to 17:00, and it featured a definitive list of 216 candidates who have opted for a maximum of 25 delegates that will make up the works council.
The electoral process, which has followed a schedule established since April 22, has culminated today after the phase of candidate presentation, the publication of provisional and definitive lists, the period for complaints, and an electoral campaign that lasted from May 1 to May 4. The day of reflection was held yesterday, May 5, the date from which any campaigning activity was prohibited.
To exercise the right to vote, the dockworkers have had to identify themselves with their ID or with the identity card of the Stevedoring Society, which must include a readable photograph, code, and name. The procedure has established a double identity check: at a first table, made up of three workers who did not present themselves as candidates, the membership status of the Coordinadora union has been verified and the ballot and envelope were provided; at a second table, also formed by three colleagues, the vote was deposited in the ballot box after a new identification.
Each voter could mark a maximum of 25 candidates on their ballot. The rules of the process established that ballots containing more than 25 marks, those with crossings out, and those with comments of any kind would be null. In case of an error while filling out the ballot, the worker could request a new one at the entry table, as long as they returned the previous one, which was destroyed in their presence.
The process also contemplated the possibility of proxy voting for those workers who could not attend in person due to being on leave, vacation, or another justified situation. In these cases, the colleague acting as a proxy had to present the corresponding justification duly filled out at the first table.
The organization of the day provided several spaces within the voting hall to ensure the freedom of vote, including a booth with curtains to ensure the complete intimacy of voters. The ballots, originally sealed, had to be filled out inside the electoral venue, without allowing entry or exit from the hall with them.
The polling stations have been presided over in both cases by the workers with the longest seniority, older age, and younger age who were not listed as candidates, following a usual criterion in union electoral processes.
A total of 216 dockworkers of different seniorities and professional profiles within the CPE staff have participated in these elections. The results of the voting will determine the 25 representatives who will carry the voice of dockworkers within the Coordinadora.