Italian Dock Workers Call Off Strike

Italy's dock workers' unions suspended a nationwide port strike scheduled for Dec. 18 after lawmakers modified planned reforms of waterfront labor laws.

The unions said they called off the 24 hour stoppage because the latest draft of port reforms being debated in parliament no longer threatens dock workers' job security or changes labor regulations.

The government had planned to end the job guarantees given to dock workers in return for their acceptance of a port reform legislation in 1994 which lessened labor union control over the supply of labor.

Stevedores and terminal operators supported the unions, fearing calls to liberalize dock labor would trigger widespread industrial unrest and further erode the flagging competitiveness of the nation's ports.

Stevedores use their own staff for day to day cargo handling, but must hire local port companies, the successor of disbanded union labor pools, to cope with surges in traffic.

Contact Bruce Barnard at brucebarnard47@hotmail.com.