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2 November, 1999The theme of the November 5 joint European trade union campaign is "Work for the Shipyards: A Future for Europe".
EUROPE: With the already critical situation in the European shipbuilding industry only getting worse, European metalworkers' unions under the leadership of the European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF) are organising their first European action day for shipyard workers. They intend to voice their concerns and send a strong message in favour of a future-oriented European maritime industry.
Unions participating in this campaign represent countries in Europe with major shipbuilding sites: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Spain. They are demanding safer jobs, a more future-oriented industry, fairer worldwide market conditions without currency dumping and breaches of contract, and assistance from the European Union in order to achieve structural change.
The present situation of the European high-tech shipbuilding sector is one of massive job reductions, rapid loss of market share and negative price development. What has led to this, say the unions, is ever-growing overcapacity, especially in Southeast Asia, as a consequence of tougher competition with massive pressure towards lowering prices, and the dismantling of state subsidies to improve conditions of competition. At the same time, there is worldwide competition for subsidies since the breakdown of the OECD agreement on limiting state intervention in shipbuilding. Korean shipyards can win contracts on the world market on the basis of having the lowest prices, following their currency devaluation and the easing of shipyard debts.
The EMF is convinced that Europe's shipbuilding industry has a future within a framework of fair conditions. They are asking for:
- a clear political commitment from national governments, the European Council of Ministers, the European Parliament and the European Commission for the protection of the European maritime industry, with the goal of securing European market shares and jobs through an active European maritime industrial policy;
- the immediate start of negotiations with South Korea aimed at an unconditional change of illegal competition practices and reduction of their building capacity;
- a resumption of negotiations on a new OECD shipbuilding agreement aimed at fighting worldwide distortion of competition;
- the revision of the EU regulation on decreasing shipbuilding subsidies;
- the strengthening of high-tech sector shipbuilding through market-oriented research and cooperation in research.
Source: EMF, Brussels; IG Metall Coastal District, Hamburg
Unions participating in this campaign represent countries in Europe with major shipbuilding sites: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Spain. They are demanding safer jobs, a more future-oriented industry, fairer worldwide market conditions without currency dumping and breaches of contract, and assistance from the European Union in order to achieve structural change.
The present situation of the European high-tech shipbuilding sector is one of massive job reductions, rapid loss of market share and negative price development. What has led to this, say the unions, is ever-growing overcapacity, especially in Southeast Asia, as a consequence of tougher competition with massive pressure towards lowering prices, and the dismantling of state subsidies to improve conditions of competition. At the same time, there is worldwide competition for subsidies since the breakdown of the OECD agreement on limiting state intervention in shipbuilding. Korean shipyards can win contracts on the world market on the basis of having the lowest prices, following their currency devaluation and the easing of shipyard debts.
The EMF is convinced that Europe's shipbuilding industry has a future within a framework of fair conditions. They are asking for:
- a clear political commitment from national governments, the European Council of Ministers, the European Parliament and the European Commission for the protection of the European maritime industry, with the goal of securing European market shares and jobs through an active European maritime industrial policy;
- the immediate start of negotiations with South Korea aimed at an unconditional change of illegal competition practices and reduction of their building capacity;
- a resumption of negotiations on a new OECD shipbuilding agreement aimed at fighting worldwide distortion of competition;
- the revision of the EU regulation on decreasing shipbuilding subsidies;
- the strengthening of high-tech sector shipbuilding through market-oriented research and cooperation in research.
Source: EMF, Brussels; IG Metall Coastal District, Hamburg