lech antolín goya I am stewart
Port of Santa Cruz
tenerife
currently represents about 6,400
port stevedores from all over Spain and
about 1,200 workers that without being
port stevedores also
they share their daily work with the
port stevedores in ports
Until relatively recently I went
also the general coordinator of the
international union of
stevedores that agglutinates approximately
about 100,000 port workers
everyone that in a moment
determined we made the decision to
set up an organization that could
defend a unique opinion despite
be competitors among us and
I suppose part of you is also
is asking why
we assembled that structure because we did not
We welcomed the structure that already had
why if it was about
have a union we were not in the
normal structures not the unions
normal is that they already come preset
but we make a reflection of
the society that we would like to share and
that we are sharing there in each
forum where we go not
from our point of view the
current situation is that each
moment we find ourselves with a
big problem that the day before
we did not know anything but that we
we raise and find the means of
communication that has caused a
big problem and that that big problem
you only have one solution and that
solution is already predetermined
solution where we could not
review in which we could not
participate and in which you do not have as
only solution to this great conflict
that arises at that time and
paradoxically if we do a little bit
of analysis of that we will see that each
one of those solutions normally
ends in job insecurity in which
the conditions of the workers who
are affected by that solution are going to
end up worse
there is a time when stevedores
We do not raise the need for
think of being able to have a unique voice
of not being complacent with that
situation
for us it is very important that in
those topics that are related
directly with our employment
directly with our life with
our way of working at least
we have the possibility to have an opinion
we can say what we think
to be able to influence if possible in the
solutions and not
accept that the solutions are
predetermined and that the final result
be bad for us and for our
family and with that idea
we had to assemble a structure
we have to start a union
we had to mount something in which the
port stevedores we felt
how comfortable we felt, participate
we felt part of a family if
we want that as ours and that
at the same time the decision that is taken
from that union
this decision to be taken from that
structure be a decision of all
therefore it seems logical that
any decision that is made and is
a decision that is based on a
assembly that is a decision
Assembly and with that idea, because we
assemble these two structures that
I’m saying initially at the level
local in Spain and then
enhancing that international structure
that international union of
port stevedores that like them
he said he already has a great representation
around the world
maybe going back a little bit already
it came to the moment in which I pose
I say I’m already here talking about
port stevedores and there is part of the
or room and many people know that neither
even know who the
port stevedores or that what is
worse as we have lived a courtship a
little bit strange with the government the
last months because maybe they have a
perception of our profession or of
our people very different from the
reality because unfortunately we have
come out many means of
communication during the past
time
maybe then what would be logical
to explain first about us
stevedores and port
port stevedores are a group of
women and men of this country that
essentially what we dedicate ourselves to
do is load and unload ship to
activate and deactivate ship which is what
it’s what we call that
activity to upload and download those
We organized in boats
work teams what we
we call hands by users hands of
work and they are teams that do everything
type of download activities because
all types of activities download
because the goods that enter the
ports do not have a standard format
not everything good in containing
we can be in a for example in a
Frozen fish hold between 20 and
30 degrees below zero by unloading by hand
like 50 years ago and at the same time the
next day we can be downloading
a container ship of last
generation with technology adapted to
the last generation and with a level of
sophistication forgiveness and very high and that
forces us to have a level of
practical deformation and especially of
Continuous training of our
workers very high very high because
you just have to look at the type of
activity that we develop to know
that our security and at the same time
the service that we give then needs that
we are in that in that in that round of
permanent formation when when
we were able to understand the role
that we played when we were able to
understand and not to remain passive before
the situation before them
when we were able to place ourselves in the
in the idea of saying hey if we have a
single voice we will be able to defend
the best thing if we have one voice let’s go
to be able to have that option to
to be able to say to try to change that
system not when you realize your and
when it starts to surface
Not only will you feel good personally
the time to do it but that
At the same time, a
highest sense of responsibility
whoever has that ability does not mean
that you do not have to do a series of
personal sacrifices and for us
it is very important that the collective like this
understand it and we think it ‘s a good
teaching for society too
do the common good get that the
common good prevail prevail
forgiveness for the personal good above
good personal is very difficult especially
in a society like today’s where
we’re all going to ours every time there’s
a situation more individualism and
less in solidarity with the rest of the
people up to the children before
we played football before we played
the different games that was always
with a group of friends
now we are only with the
mobile machines
permanently and that is transmitted to the
society and in our collective also
happens that can get
that our people understand that good
It is common for the common position to be
on top of it
the individualism of each one or of the
individual welfare of each one that
is there is an important teaching
we believe that we have made progress
important in that on that path but it ‘s
the essence of being able to continue to be able
keep moving
before that situation e of the steps
important that this group has given and
is one of those that most
proud we feel in the last
timing is precisely the integration
of women in the port collective
we know that throughout the conflict
you try to use it with as much
the opposite as we are a collective
macho trying to use that we come from
a time where work was all
physical and therefore was assigned
specifically to men a to the
current reality no longer just because we
we feel proud to have almost 300
colleagues in the port of valencia that
we have to accompany in the port of
barcelona in the port of gijón in the
Puerto de Castellón in the port of
Malaga not only because of that but because
we have also achieved with a
union position without being the
entrepreneurs without being that we hired
we have managed to force the situation
so that increasingly women
have integrated into the activity
port and have also integrated
in an absolutely normal condition 9
moss some stevedores and some dockers
a collective of port stevedores
in which we are all perfectly
integrated and we work with absolute
normality with what I say without
be a direct responsibility of the
port lands one of the things that
It makes us feel
truly proud and I thought
most appropriate in a format like
that we are today precisely in a
talk with the web content that has
who has this day that we could
give that is the importance that for
we have it
come to this point yes if we make a
little bit of reflection on what they
I just told you how the
union how do we structure as
prevails the general opinion to the
global opinion
we also have to think
that get that structure get
that union position get that
unique so have a little power
most important and it is also in a
strategic position as are the
ports as we are the stevedores
port operators manipulating the entrance of
goods from each of the ports
the supply of society that we
surrounds around you but ultimately what
that we are referring to
I ask you that it reaches that point and
doing the analyzes that do the
next reflection e have that power
of interlocution does not mean to register
in a position of immobility
for us having the ability to
adapt to him have flexibility
The ability to negotiate is
absolutely essential and not only the
formative part that had them previously
we can stay behind in the new
technologies because our work is
move boat goes from one port to another if
the port next door is able to give a
better service or with some conditions
better than this port gives the boat not
will come here if the
company will not have work does not generate
resources and does not generate resources I do not
I work with what in
our philosophy that ability to
interlocution of having an interlocution
It has to serve us to make
participants of all the strategies
commercials are us too
we need the company to be
competitive and we for that we have
to be competitive also and the
force that capacity of interlocution
can not be placed can not stay in
a situation of absolute immobility
on the contrary it has to stay in
a situation close to adapt not
be able to adapt not for what then
to look for what I think you have to
look for any worker of this
good country to raising the
international organization of
workers what we intend in each
one the moments of having a job
stable decent conditions
that’s what the workers are looking for
from this country
I understand that port stevedores
not only the personal feeling but in
the rest of the workers in the ports
also and the rest of society
also but for us it is a
a way of understanding what we’re going
doing and why they bother us so much and
therefore arises highlighting coordinator
that the decisions that are being made
the solutions to the great
problems just go looking
permanent job insecurity hey
we want that it is possible to change what
what we have done is possible to change it and
that the formula to be able to change that
is in the workers unit to
abandon that situation of complicity
of doing nothing and taking a little
initiative
in our particular case it is nothing
easy we have in front of the
across the table in front of the
negotiation with the large shipping companies of the
world with economic power and
incalculable with a capacity to
generate wealth in those ports
where they determine what is
incalculable and that makes the
governments of each of the countries
put everything at the disposal of those
large shipping companies put all
disposition of the interest the capital
economic and that they put not only their
capacity for dialogue in the
means of creating those big problems and
these little solutions e way
direct so that society can not
think but also put to
service of your economic interest your
budget budgets that we pay
all with our taxes and that at
they are using them for the same time
can so that we can generate taxes
so that our incomes are worse
so that our conditions are
worse to move from that state of
welfare state is no longer
of well-being and before that is what I
I do not think
we should not be, we should not
remain passive
against that you can fight a gochi a
drop of water is able to pierce a
cement wall the second installment what
will have easier the third what
will have easier and when we get
make a hole in the concrete block
we will have the possibility of those who
are on the other side of the block know
another version of the problem
hear what really happens
to be able to have a true opinion with
objective data and I wanted to feel
in solidarity with those who are watching
and participate in the solution
what is a problem is
keep us in this situation of the
other’s problem is not mine so
so much so that if I am wrong that the other is
as bad as me
in theory what we should opt for
be the creators this country
If the other is wrong, we should all
to get better and if that one is good I
I want to be well what is equal to
bad that I as I was telling him if that drop is
permanent
yes yes that can be done and a clear
example is that I’m talking about
here today five months ago there would have been
been absolutely unthinkable by
none of the port stevedores
that a longshoreman could be
speaking in a talk of so high
prestige like this if we have
been able to withstand that onslaught
if we were able to transmit a
different version is the demonstration
basic that this can be done and
what can we contribute in this
talk that what we want to convey to
all workers in this country
look at things can change and for
it is only necessary to put a
little bit of win only
worry only you have to see
when they ask us what is
overwhelming a collective when it is
doing a demonization campaign
when you are talking about how bad it is
they are and how bad we are the others and
that they are privileged what
only thing to do is to ask if
because they have to go to worse and because
we all have to be worse
and who is the one who wins when we are
everyone to worse and where they are seeing
the resources for that and that only what
we can change us
workers in this country and we can
change if we unite and if we think that
that problem will also affect us
directly because now it ‘s up to him
tomorrow it’s your turn and the effects of
they are not making part of
all in that mobility and mobility
permanent in which we have the
port stevedores for this we are
in a position to contribute our
experience that we have reached for them
more than the carts for we have
achieved many of them we know a lot
and we can also make available
of any collective of any
group that wants to work to change
to change that dynamic the cross we have
we will be there we will be
supporting and we will be trying
strengthen that change because the change
it’s possible
we understand that the change is
perfectly possible and that all of that is
have to do
from the unit in the unit is the
key many thanks
[Applause]
”
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