Workers protest against privatization of the Port of Santos and changes in legislation

Independent workers at the Port of Santos, on the coast of São Paulo, held a protest on Monday morning (December 20th) against the privatization of port services and against possible changes in the legislation that protects the category’s labor exclusivity. The independent port workers went on strike, from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm, in support of other demonstrations that the category is putting forward in the country.

Workers gathered in the port area, next to Concais, Santos’ maritime passenger terminal, around 7:00 am, and displayed several banners in protest.

According to Bruno José dos Santos, the president of the dockers union (Sindestiva), the group of protesters is formed by workers from various port categories and representatives of different unions. They are against the privatization of port services and demand public attention, especially coming from the population, companies operating in the port, and the Federal Government.

The category is also against a possible change in legislation that alters workers’ rights, including exclusivity. Currently, port workers need to be registered with the Labor-Management Agency (OGMO). However, they believe that with Bill No. 3771/2021, authored by Federal Deputy Julio Lopes (PP-RJ), which provides for amendments to Law No. 12,815, known as the Law of Ports, the category would suffer from the loss of rights and benefits, including mandatory registration under the OGMO.

Privatization

In July of this year, the minister of Infrastructure, Tarcísio Gomes de Freitas, declared that “the model” to be used in the privatization of the Port of Santos is practically defined.

On an official statement, the Santos Port Authority (SPA) clarifies that the privatization of the Port Authority will not change the rules referring to the OGMO. The Ministry of Infrastructure also clarified that the privatization process will not change the labor relations contained in the current legislation.

Despite the protest, cargo entry and exit operations were not impacted.

Source: G1

To read the full original article visit the link https://g1.globo.com/sp/santos-regiao/porto-mar/noticia/2021/12/20/trabalhadores-portuarios-protestam-contra-desestatizacao-do-porto-de-santos-e-mudancas-na-legislacao.ghtml

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