[PEN-L:9441] Santos port - troops poised to intervene (fwd)

[D Shniad <shniad@xxxxxx>]

> Subject:      Santos port - troops poised to intervene
> Comments: To: labr.global@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, itf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
>           labr.maritime@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, union-d@xxxxxxxxxxx, united@xxxxxxxxxx
> To: LABOR-L@xxxxxxxx
>
> Troops are poised to intervene to break the peaceful occupation of two
> ships in the Brazilian port of Santos, where workers are resisting
> attempts to replace them with contract labour on a berth belonging to
> COSIPA, the S=E3o Paulo Steel Company.
>
> According to Santos portworkers=92 web site and e-mail received by the =
>
> Liverpool dockers, the "Marcos Dias" and the "Vancouver",  moored at
> the COSIPA terminal, are occupied. On Monday 7th April, COSIPA
> requested that the Army be brought in to clear the occupation. The
> unions expect an imminent armed military intervention. Contact them by =
>
> fax on 0055 13 232 48 77 or email them at
> interportus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> Some time ago, COSIPA proposed contracting out of cargo handling in
> their own berth. The process came to a head last week after COSIPA
> obtained legal authority to impose their plans. Santos portworkers=92
> then struck from the 2nd to the 5th of April, with a general stoppage
> of Brazilian ports on 4th April. On Saturday 5th April, 3 workers were =
>
> injured in clashes with the Military Police. On 7th April COSIPA
> succeeded in gaining authority to call in the Army. The web site of
> the Inter-Union in the Port of Santos
> (http://www.portodesantos.com/sindicatos) currently says:
>
> Cosipa solicited the intervention of the Army in order to evacuate the =
>
> two ships, the "Marcos Dias" and the "Vancouver", moored at their
> terminal. Such an unprecedented process was authorised by Judge Mario
> Roberto Negreiros Vellose, of the Second Civil Jurisdiction of
> Cubat=E3o, who 3 days previously had solicited at the company=92s reque=
> st
> the intervention of the Military Police of the State of S=E3o Paulo,
> which refused to carry out the improper order, leading to unnecessary
> confrontations.
>
> The Unions of Workers of the Port of Santos are appealing for national =
>
> and international solidarity while watching the situation develop.
> Three workers were injured in the clashes on Saturday, the 5th. Much
> more serious can occur if the company continues with its intransigence =
>
> in ending the use of port workers for cargo handling in its maritime
> terminal.
>
> The ships are occupied by workers who are in their place of work
> defending their posts. There is nothing to concede, now that it would
> signify abdication of the mechanisms of the Law of the Ports, of
> Decree 1886/96 and Convention 137 of the International Labour
> Organisation. The work in ports is exclusively for port workers.
>
> LabourNet Report
> http://www.labournet.org.uk
>