SERV has been on a mission in the South-African Richards Bay and to Maputo in Mozambique from 15th to 21st of March. The mission took place in the framework of an international ILO-project sponsored by the Flemish and by the Dutch governments aiming at the strengthening of the social dialogue in the ports sector.
SERV and the Flemish Ports Commission together with Dutch and Flemish social partners from the ports sector are involved as technical partners and experts. The project itself is a follow up of a previous project in Durban, South-Africa.
Participated in this mission: René De Brouwer of BTB-ABVV (trade union), Joost van der Lecq of FNV (trade union) en Guy Vankrunkelsven, delegate of the employers’ or-ganization CEPA- port of Antwerp. SERV was coordinating the mission.
In Richards Bay representatives of the management and of the trade unions met with the Flemish and Dutch experts and exchanged experiences and know how. This will result in organizing a tailor made study trip for them in Flanders and in the Netherlands in June this year
Social dialogue in the port of Maputo seemed more complicated. The ILO-agencies of South Africa and Mozambique will have to take this topic up with the social partners of the port of Maputo and decide together whether and if a representative tripartite dele-gation of Maputo is going to join the study trip to Flanders and the Netherlands.