Oslo Harbor declared POC!


I have been asked to post this by Svein Lundeng on behalf of the Norway Dockers
The International Transport Workers' Co-ordination Committee in Norway today decided unanimously to declare Oslo Harbor for Port of Convenience.
This means that the port in the Norwegian capital becomes the second on a global basis, that ITF believes is so grave in terms of attacks on dockworkers rights and the workers' pay and working conditions, that it deserves the port of convenience designation .
The reason for the decision is that ITF has revealed repeated violations of international laws and regulations that protect both port workers and seafarers.
- No improvement

The head of the Norwegian Transport Workers' Union, Lars Morten Johnsen, is disappointed that the port authorities and politicians in Oslo have made such a decision necessary.


"All of our federations in the coordination committee agreed initially that Oslo Port fulfilled the criteria for being declared a convenience port when we attended the ITF conference in Cape Town in June this year, and we also supported ITF. But the Norwegian federations asked ITF that no decision should be made before we had tried all the possibilities that were here at home. Therefore, we were given the power of attorney to make that statement ourselves, and since we have not seen any improvement, a unanimous decision was made today, says Johnsen.
The decisive factor for the coordination committee has been both breach of seafarers' freight handling clauses in their agreements, but also the unwillingness to use the registered harbor workers in Oslo port.
Unsure of the effect.
"It was a prerequisite for us not to make such a decision that the cases of social dumping at the port should stop and that we should start using the harbor worker again. If that happens, the coordination committee is ready to make a new decision to withdraw the statement Oslo Port has received as Port of Convenience, Johnsen points out.
He says that he expects the Oslo decision to be followed up internationally by the entire ITF umbrella, so that everyone will realize that Oslo Harbor has been declared a convenience harbor. However, what effect such a decision will have is a little uncertain.

"We do not have all the world's experience in ITF with POC declarations. It is only the oil ports on Barrow Island outside of Australia and Mogadishu in Somalia, which has received such a stamp earlier, so the port of Oslo has ended in a group that they should preferably not be in, stresses Johnsen, admitting that he is disappointed with both the city council and the port authorities .
"I had thought that the city council would cut through, not least since a clear decision was made to comply with the ILO 137 Convention on Labor," says Lars Morten Johnsen, NTF leader.
Roar Langaard,head of Oslo Dockworkers Association(Oslo Bryggearbeideres Forening) also had belived this.
- Breach of the cooperation agreement.
We thought a new city council would help us port workers, but it's only got worse. We feel deceived and also believe that this is a breach of the cooperation agreement between the City Council and the Red Party that port should follow ILO 137. We will address Red, says Langaard.
He believes the decision of the ITF's coordination committee was expected.
- This is not a wish from anyone at the port. We just want our jobs back, and I find it remarkable that there are dockers in other Norwegian ports, including Drammen where Holship is, but not here in Oslo. Now this has gone so far that the decision on POC for Oslo Harbor is deserved, "says Roar Langaard in the OBF.
Transportarbeideren has not succeeded in contacting Port Director Ingvar M Mathisen in Oslo Port.
From this article:https://frifagbevegelse.no/…/oslo-havn-fikk-verstingstempel…

Comment from Rødt(Red Party):
Monday, October 16, the verdict of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) concluded that Oslo port became Europe's first convenience port. "Unfortunately, Oslo's red-green city council policymakers do not understand the seriousness," said Red Deputy Silje Josten Kjosbakken.
The International Transport Workers' Co-ordination Committee in Norway today decided unanimously to declare Oslo Harbor for Port of Convenience.
A port of convenience, is briefly a port that attacks workers' rights. A port where the wage and terms of employment are not followed. In Oslo port this is demonstrated in the form of port workers being excluded from unloading and loading assignments, and underpaid seafarers are ordered to perform the work of the port workers. Oslo port is now, as number two in the world, "assigned" such a status.
"This is not just a nasty scratch in the paint for the red/green city council in Oslo, it's a disgrace for Norway. At the same time, the convenience harbor stamp could also have major consequences for cargo coming by sea. In addition, this could lead to the cruise industry wishing to go to other ports. Serious shipping companies do not want to associate with convenience ports, "says Kjosbakken.
Kjosbakken thinks it is a historic and dramatic situation in which the City of Oslo has taken a seat, but it seems that the city council does not understand the seriousness of the matter.
- At the beginning of October, an ITF inspector aboard the ship Ness, which was docked in Oslo. The ITF documented that the ship's crew (ie those who work at sea) were set to carry out the work the port workers had until recently. And so on without paying for the work! This case is the last of many such, documented during the past year.
It is Oslo Havn KF and Oslo municipality which owns the quays in Oslo. That is, they are community property. Private operators rent quays of varying sizes and operate these under leases. Common to all of them is that they must operate with sea-related operations - that is, it must come or go over the quayside. Roof tiles, salt, containers, cars, house modules and aluminum are some examples of cargoes that cross Oslo port.

"Although the operation of the port has been issued to private actors, it is the municipality of Oslo at the City Council for Industry and Ownership, Geir Lippestad, which is responsible for political responsibility for the conditions in Oslo port. This also applies now as the Oslo port has been declared a convenience port.

- The cooperation agreement between Rødt and city council parties in Oslo contains a point that ILO Convention 137 is to be followed at Oslo Port, that is, that port workers have priority for unloading and loading work. It is also approved by the Harbor Board. In spite of this, we still see excluded port workers and underpaid seamen set up to perform their work. Now we expect the city council to see the seriousness of the situation and show willingness to clean up, "concluded Kjosbakken.
From this article:https://rødt.no/oslo-blir-europas-forste-bekvemmelighetshavn

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