Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-03-13-Speech-2-327"
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"en.20070313.24.2-327"2
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"Mr President, we are currently in the middle of the Erika trial. The Erika case is typical of those disasters that are avoidable but that nonetheless happen because the gains of a handful of individuals must necessarily take precedence over everything. That is the outcome of liberal logic, of profit pushed to the extreme, according to which, for the sake of making a few euros more, everything is permitted, including disregarding the most elementary safety rules to the point of catastrophe.
As far as shipowners are concerned, I can only welcome the fact that they have given their firm and willing commitment to entering into social, European dialogue, with their trade union partners, with a view to signing, by the end of the year, a collective European agreement that would include the relevant provisions of this Convention. An initial cycle of negotiations has ended today and the climate seems very constructive. This is a good thing and I think that we can also welcome the constructive role played by the European Commission in facilitating this process.
As for the Member States, they hold the key to bringing this Convention into force. It has been said, if the European Union and the European Free Trade Association ratify it, then the Convention will come into effect and will apply everywhere. If Europe ratifies speedily, other nations will follow, and Europe will have been the driving force, in showing that another way, apart from exploitation and dumping, is possible, and that competition can go together with responsibility.
It is essential, therefore, if we believe in the unique quality of the European model, to see to it that this Convention is ratified speedily. It is also essential to keep to the target date of the end of 2008 proposed by the ILO.
It is this same logic that we have seen at work in the miserably famous case of
which soon will have nothing Irish about it except its name. In the name of profit, the entire staff complement of a company, which is nonetheless operating correctly, can be thrown overboard.
Again it is this same logic that pushes some shipowners carrying out intracommunity cabotage to operate ships with insufficient crew and in conditions that put both the crew and shipping as a whole at risk.
These miserable working conditions go so far as to jeopardise seafaring traditions and expertise because the image they give of the sector is such that it has become more and more difficult to recruit European seamen.
Of course, this pursuit of profit is never mentioned. It is better to put forward the argument of international competition, which is essentially Asian and obviously unfair, to justify these practices, even when this competition does not exist. Has anyone ever seen Chinese companies operating ferries in the Baltic or in the Channel?
There is no question of denying this competition. It does affect part of the sector and it also has its merits, but it must be controlled and it must be fair. It is possible to choose the basis on which it should operate. And if, sadly, social dumping is a reality in the maritime sector, it is not inevitable.
There are, of course, those who accept it and seek to profit from it, but one can also reject it by pushing for a general rise in social standards in the world as a whole so that, in the end, everyone can find themselves on an equal footing in terms of international competition. That is, as you will have realised, the way that I would like Europe to go.
In Europe, as we know, competitiveness will not be achieved through minimising costs and lowering social standards. It can only be achieved through quality. The quality of vessels, the quality of crews, safeguarded by means of decent working and training conditions.
The ILO Convention that is being discussed this evening offers us the opportunity to make that choice. It does not solve all of the problems, but it represents a step forward. And it offers European shipowners and the Member States an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to defending certain values enshrined in the European Union and in its social model. On signing it in February 2006, they were signing a statement of intent in that regard. We now expect them to move on to actions."@en1
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