00:00President of the seamen and waterfront workers trade union, Michael Anneset, says Port of
00:06Spain port workers are still being paid on 2013 salaries, while outstanding negotiations
00:12remain unresolved. He tells the Morning Edition, while he is grateful for the port's chairman
00:18and the government agreeing with the 12% settlement for the 2014-2017 period, that figure
00:25was agreed upon in 2015, and is no longer feasible in 2026.
00:31Because the 10% that the public servants get, it means nothing, you know, because that is
00:36after the fact, that is after the erosion of your purchasing powers, the kind of wages that
00:43you will need. And I will tell you, in terms of the port of borders paid, we will require
00:49almost 43% increases for the period in order to bring our purchasing power back to where
00:56it is supposed to be. And that is a reality.
00:59Anneset is calling for a major show of solidarity from both workers and the public on October
01:0516th, vowing that the plight of workers will no longer be ignored. He is also urging the
01:11port authority and the government to pay workers if the money is available, adding that the same
01:18applies for TST team.
01:20We cannot say that we are talking about long term. So you could talk now, until the
01:26call comes down, I am not going to pay the 10%. So, which is which? Right? If you have
01:34the ability to pay, what is the issue? And if that is your take on the matter, don't you
01:41think it would be much better to engage the union in discussion, rather than doing industrial
01:46relations in the public domain? However, Anneset says, the union's action will not come at
01:51the expense of the country's ports. He says, workers will continue reporting for duty despite
01:57what he describes as deplorable conditions. Don't be afraid. Siemens Union is here and
02:04we always act responsibly and with the nation at heart. And I say this against the backdrop,
02:13you know, we have been operating in circumstances, in terms of health and safety, rats, I mean,
02:23pigeon infestation and all these things. Nicole M. Romany, TV6 News.
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