International Longshoremen's Association, AFL-CIO, Pledges Solidarity with Swedish Transport Workers' Union Dockers
06/04/2008

NEW YORK – The International Longshoremen’s Association, AFL-CIO announced today that it will support Dockers in Sweden who began an industrial action last week after employers failed to reach an agreement over working hours. These dockers in Sweden, members of the Swedish Transport Workers’ Union, refused to work overtime beginning on May 26th after negotiations with the employers’ organization failed to reach an agreement over how working hours should be decided.

“The 75,000-member International Longshoremen’s Association, AFL-CIO, CLC, joins in solidarity with our sister and brother members of the Swedish Transport Workers’ Union in their dispute with employers,” said Richard P. Hughes, President of the ILA, in a message sent to Marcel Carlstedt, the Swedish union’s head negotiator. “We stand ready to offer whatever assistance may be helpful in resolving this labor dispute to the satisfaction of dockers in Sweden.”

Both the ILA and the Swedish Transport Workers’ Union are affiliated with the world-wide labor federation, the International Transport Federation (ITF), which has called on all dockers’ affiliates to “stand by to provide their Swedish colleagues with solidarity support.”

According to the Swedish dockers’ union, Brother he employers are seeking to decide unilaterally what hours dockers should work. The union’s current collective bargaining agreement states that working hours should be decided jointly by the union and the employer. The ITF informed its affiliates that it understands that the Swedish Transport Workers’ Union is also planning all-out strike action on 13 June in the ports of Stockholm, Wallhamn (Terminal West) and Varberg.

“The ILA hopes that the employers in Sweden will recognize that its dockers have the strength of the world-wide labor community behind them and settle this dispute before it escalates on June 13th,” Mr. Hughes said.

The ILA represents 75,000 longshore and other waterfront workers at ports along the Eastern and Gulf coasts of the United States, Great Lakes ports, Puerto Rico and Eastern Canada. Mr. Hughes serves as a Vice President for North America with the ITF as well as serving on its Dockers’ Section. He also serves as a Vice President on the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO.

Jim McNamara can also be reached at jmcnamara@ilaunion.org