"No" to Port Reform

The European Parliament voted 229 to 209 against a port-services directive that proponents said would have encouraged competition and reduced costs in ports but which opponents said would have undermined unions and endangered workers. The defeat of the directive leaves EU ports in a regulatory and legal quagmire. While other industries have been reshaped under liberalized laws and regulations, EU ports and terminals have stood aloof from major change. The reform directive was voted down after dockworkers, coordinated by the International Transport Workers Federation, threatened widespread strikes in European ports. The unions were particularly upset by a clause in the directive that would have allowed shipowners to bypass dockworkers and use ships' crews to load and discharge cargo. The European Commission said it will hold a new round of consultations with ports, port users and unions before deciding whether to table a new proposal.