“July will be hot at the docks of the Ligurian ports as we face the threat of a strike. Fierce negotiations are taking place regarding the terms of the collective agreement. The proposals on the table are insufficient to recover the purchasing power lost by workers in recent years and fail to address inadequate legislation. Additionally, there are still too many work accidents in Italian ports, which continue to result in fatalities. We are now going to stop work,” stated the Genoa dockers’ union, UIL Liguria.
Port workers, after six months of negotiations, are still far from renewing the collective agreement that expired last December.
On Monday, 1 July, the unions warned that if there is no breakthrough in talks in the next few days, Uiltrasporti Liguria and UIL Liguria, along with Filt Cgil and Fit Cisl, will lead workers from the ports of Genoa, Savona, and La Spezia in a 48-hour strike on 4 and 5 July. The entire port sector is expected to participate, which will likely cause significant difficulties and delays in cargo handling at Ligurian ports on these days.
“Let’s remember that the port of Genoa alone currently employs around 60,000 people, both directly and indirectly. Including ship repairs, the figure reaches nearly 100,000 workers awaiting responses from politicians and institutions. Additionally, we must consider the staff of Savona and La Spezia ports. This highlights the significant impact the port system has on the region’s economy,” emphasised the trade union UIL Liguria.