Since Friday at 1 p.m., the dockworkers in Esbjerg have blocked the installation ship Seaway Ventus. The ship is in the Port of Esbjerg to be mobilized for installation work on the upcoming German offshore wind farms Gode Wind 3 and Borkum Riffgrund 1.
- We had made an agreement with Ørsted that they would get things in order. On Friday, we said stop, says the dockworkers' chairman, Brian Reichle, who took up the matter with Ørsted a month ago.
- It is an old agreement between the dockworkers and the seafarers that there must be a collective agreement on the ships that come here to Esbjerg. That is the only way that work can resume, says Brian Reichle.
The dockworkers in Esbjerg have received international support from colleagues in both the USA and Australia from the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA). The Danish dockworkers have previously supported the American dockworkers in a conflict with Ørsted in the USA.
- There must be proper working conditions for the seafarers, and we receive recognition for that from all over the world, says Brian Reichle.
The dockworkers hold Ørsted responsible for the fact that the shipping company Seaway7 does not have a collective agreement for its seafarers. The shipping company has offices in Norway, London, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, but according to Brian Reichle, a collective agreement must be concluded in Norway.
Support from 3F Transport
The dockworkers' union supports the blockade.
- This is not the first time we have seen a blockade. All other ships here have a collective agreement. Why can't Ørsted, as the main supplier behind the shipping company Seaway7, figure it out? Ørsted was already told that a month ago, says Jakob Lykke, chairman of 3F Transport in Esbjerg, who adds:
- It is a matter of principle. Ørsted should have understood this.
DOI.dk has received the following written comment from Ørsted:
“We are aware that there is a discussion between a Danish trade union and one of our subcontractors, which we hope the two parties can resolve in a proper manner.”
DOI.dk is working to obtain a comment from the shipping company Seaway7.
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