Payout win for dockers' union in Brazil

Members of a Brazilian dockers’ union have won a significant payout following a court decision earlier this month.

The labour supreme court ordered the operator of the port of Suape, in Recife, to pay the workers BRL100 million (more than US$50 million); the money constitutes a fine for breaching their collective bargaining agreement.

The Sindicato dos Trabalhadores do Serviço Portuário de Pernambuco (SINDPORTPE), which represents the dockers took the Suape Port and Industrial Complex (Tecon Suape), operated by International Container Terminal Service Inc to court in 2003. This followed its use of non-registered port workers instead of unionised registered port workers, which breached their agreement and Brazilian law. The ITF, the ITF-affiliated Confederação Nacional dos Trabalhadores em Transportes Aquaviários e Aéreos, na Pesca e nos Portos and the state government had provided the union with assistance on negotiating the agreement.

Severino Francisco dos Santos, president of SINDPORTPE, commented: “A long time has passed since we reached an agreement with the company and many workers and their families have been affected by the breach by Tecon Suape. We are still fighting with the support of the ITF and its affiliates, which have been with us in each difficult moment.”

Antonio Fritz, ITF Americas regional secretary commented: “Terrible damage has been done to the well being of the registered port workers of Recife, who were denied their right to work. The law has to be respected. The fine, as large as it seems, does not correct the damage port workers and their families have suffered, but we hope that now that it has been proven that they have the legal right to work, they will be reinstated and the collective bargaining agreement respected.”