ITF criticises Panama Canal Authority

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has criticised the Panama Canal Authority (ACP)’s handling of tug boat crew reductions and said the local union should have been consulted.

The ACP has removed the additional captain position from its tugboats’ crews and claimed the move would provide captains with an improved working schedule and reduce the demand to perform overtime, but did not consult the Union de Capitanes y Oficiales de Cubierta (UCOC)  on the move.

In a statement, the ITF said: “While the ACP acknowledges that the concerns highlighted by the UCOC, the ITF and its unions about extreme working conditions in the new locks are real, the ACP has failed to engage with the professionals represented by the UCOC.