Port of Santos’ workers list challenges ahead of upcoming Lula administration

Workers at the Port of Santos have high expectations for 2023. Making up for a lost time after more than three years of discussions that revolved around the privatization of port administration is one of them. In addition, with the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, port workers hope to regain rights, maintain current legislation and recompose staff.

Last Thursday (22), Lula announced Márcio França as the future Minister of Ports and Airports. The indication was well received by the port workers, who had already met with the then-candidate for the Senate in September. In the first interview after the president-elect’s announcement, França confirmed that the privatization of the Santos Port Authority (SPA) is now ruled out.

“This is good news. In recent years, everything has revolved around this idea. There were a lot of hires, a lot of human resources, and a lot of money invested in something that didn’t make sense. We have always defended the public Port Authority,” said the president of the Union of Port Administration Employees (Sindaport), Everandy Cirino dos Santos.

Now, the unionist is hopeful that the workers will have a say in choosing those who make up the command of the state-owned company.

The entity representing SPA workers has already started a survey of all service orders, decrees, and resolutions enacted by the current management. The idea is to propose changes to items considered harmful to port workers.

Building up the company’s workforce is one of the issues raised. According to Cirino, areas such as the Human Resources sector and operation inspection units lost employees in recent years after retirements and voluntary termination plans.

“Another absurdity in the bylaws is the item that obliges port guards who have a driver’s license to drive and pay for damage done on duty. They should either remove it from the regiment or pay bonuses to those who are driving. That’s what we consider reasonable.”

See below the track record of container exports from the Port of Santos compared to imports in the period between Jan 2019 and Oct 2022, according to the DataLiner market intelligence service.

Exports and imports – Port of Santos | Jan 2019 – Oct 2022 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Temporary workers

Maintaining exclusivity in the requisition of temporary work is one of the main goals of port workers. This is because entities representing port operators propose reviewing the regulatory framework that includes new rules for selecting workers.

According to the Santos Port Authority (SPA), the mooring service is an operational activity offered by the private sector in virtually all ports in Brazil. And the conditions offered are more advantageous than those of the state-owned company.

In April, the new tariff structure defined by the National Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq) came into effect, establishing an exclusive tariff for the mooring service. With this, the private sector gained strength.

Low demand

The Port Authority points out that the workers who chose to remain employed at the state-owned company continued to work. However, there is a low demand for ship mooring services, given the wide offer by private companies.

“The reduced number of moorers versus the increase in demand for ship maneuvers was causing delays or losses in maneuvers, generating inefficiency and increased costs for terminals/agents/operators.”

Overtime

In relation to this topic, SPA notes that the current management has made it a priority to address it, so much so that overtime is now used as an effective extraordinary resource for specific emergencies.

According to the Port Authority, the results indicate a reduction of almost 90% in total overtime compared to the beginning of the current management.

“The extension of the working day must be the least onerous, as SPA, as part of the Public Administration, must seek efficiency and rationalization of public spending, without jeopardizing the continuity of the provision of services.”

Source: A Tribuna

To read the full original article, please go to: https://www.atribuna.com.br/noticias/portomar/portuarios-de-santos-fazem-lista-de-desafios-ao-governo-lula

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