Embraport gives in to stevedore unions… for now

The two unions – Sintraport and the Sindicato dos Estivadores – have been fighting the management of the US$1.02bn facility who do not want to hire stevedores from the OGMO casual labour pool.

According Sintraport, this resulted in about 50 stevedores boarding the Maersk La Paz on July 11, which they refused to leave until they received assurances, from Santos Mayor, Paulo Alexandre Barbosa (of the PSDB party) and the port, that talks would continue and fines would not be imposed on those who boarded the vessel.

The local newspaper, A Tribuna, stated that warning shots fired in the air by security guards had not deterred the invading stevedores.   However, Embraport denied 50 had boarded the vessel, claiming instead that it was “more like 18”. (A Tribuna published a photograph of about 18 or 19 stevedores after they left the Maersk La Paz).