Joint efforts to bring about a scheme to help absorb the anticipated ECT dockers’ surplus have been suspended, after the tripartite Social Container Sector Consultancy Committee failed to conclude a tangible package.

The deal breaker was the trade unions’ demand for a ‘no compulsory sackings’ guarantee through to 2024. Both the port authority (HbR) and the port’s container handling companies "consider this an outdated, archaic demand," HbR commented in its initial reaction.

The collapse of talks on Friday (6th November) mostly pivots around the estimated €72M required to finance the sacking-free solution, said Niek Stam, national secretary for Dutch Union FNV Havens.

“As the container companies find this too expensive, we (FNV Havens and CNV Vakmensen) consider it the port authority’s obligation to foot the bill, as they’re the ones who built the Second Maasvlakte terminals which is causing the overcapacity responsible for the anticipated ECT dockers’ surplus. They’re [HbR] loaded anyway, even after paying a dividend" [to shareholders the Dutch state and the city of Rotterdam].

The unions want the Committee to adopt the so-called "Seniors’ Fit Scheme," by which a total 632 of container terminal dockers born between 1953 and 1959 would work part-time until the age of 65 (hence 2014). The scheme includes working 50% of time, against 95% of pay, with pension schemes being continued.

The unions argue that the half-speed programme for the dockers concerned will suffice to absorb the ECT surplus, if combined with the 70 full-time posts anticipated at the Maasvlaktes’ planned internal container exchange route and exchanging dockers on a temporary contracts basis between container terminals. “The more so when the port tightens the container lashing rules”, Stam added.

Currently, container ships under 170m LOA enjoy exemption from the obligation to deploy Rotterdam lashing firms for manual corner fittings work, which instead is carried out by ships’ crews. The unions wants the port rule to cover all ships over 110m LOA.

The two unions have also pushed for all Rotterdam container terminals to be included in the Committee. “Rotterdam Short Sea Terminal and Uniport use a lot of temps and thus have space to employ skilled dockers who become surplus at ECT”, Stam argues. “The port authority, being the Committee chairman and in its own right, should be able to have such players join the project. Both RST and Uniport are owned by Steinweg.

HbR acknowledges that the absence of some Rotterdam container handlers from the Committee is an issue, but adds that the discussions are essentially a Maasvlakte I and Maasvlakte II affair. It added that there are job guarantees through 2019 under recently negotiated collective bargaining deals. This is contradicted by Stam, who said there are no job guarantee in place beyond 2017.

HbR expects talks to resume, although no date has been fixed.