Norwegian Dockers Need Finacial Help




Posting on behalf of Svein Lundeng & Dockers Hangarounds

Cash in support of the port workers is immediately empty
The Port Worker hopes for help to support the last port workers until the summer.

When the Transport Workers Association stopped paying the strike allowance to the harbor workers in Tromsø and Mosjøen about a year ago, almost 30 port workers stood without any kind of income or unemployment insurance. It was the start of a massive fundraising campaign both inside and outside the trade union movement.


A total of around NOK 3.6 million was collected.
Needs 600,000 kroner

There are still 12-13 port workers in the two cities that have not got a job and have so far received around 17,000 kroner each month from the collective action.

According to the chairman of the Norwegian Harbor Workers' Association, Bjørn Steffensen, it is now only 40,000 kroner left, so unless there is more money for the collection action, it will be just over 3000 kroner to each of the port workers as a final payment next month.

"This means we must try to ask for solidarity in the trade union movement, to individuals, clubs, associations, trade unions and others so that we can get money to support them at least until summer," says Steffensen.

He estimates that there will be a need of 600,000-700,000 kroner to get it done.

"The money should preferably come quickly. Port workers are still doing a bad month, but two get hard, he says.
Their own company

When the sympathy conflict in Tromsø and Mosjøen began in December 2013 in connection with the fight for a collective agreement at Risavika Terminal AS outside Stavanger, there were 14 port workers in Tromsø and 17 in Mosjøen. Today, the situation is quite different.

"From next month, only one of the harbor workers in Tromsø, who has not got another job. In Mosjøen there are eleven left. They are in the process of establishing their own company so that they can lease their labor, but until they are in place they also need help, says Steffensen.

He believes this will be in place for the summer.
"There is a lot of activity in the area and we have received signals that there are good opportunities for work for the remaining harbor workers in Mosjøen. In addition, we are waiting for the trial, so it is important for us to keep the port workers working, "he says.

collection campaign
The account number of the collection action is: 3060.33.16947 (Norsk Havnearbeiderforening, PO Box 2079, 6028 Skarbøvik).
BIC/SWIFT: DNBANOKKXXX
IBAN: NO0330603316947 acountnr: 30603316947
"I hope as many as possible can contribute, and that everyone is spreading the call to help," concludes Bjørn Steffensen, head of the Norwegian Harbor Workers' Union.


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