Recently, the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA)

held the maritime industry's first

global anti-automation conference in Lisbon, Portugal.

At the meeting, Chairman Harold J. Daggett issued a strong protest: “Should any company decide to introduce any form of job-displacing automation at this union port, we will launch a global strike against that company lasting three to four weeks.”

This conference, spearheaded by the International Dockworkers Council (IDC), centered on the theme “Human Rights Over Corporate Profits—Against Automation,” signaling a new phase in the global struggle for dockworkers' rights.

Dockworker unions from over 60 countries have formed the Global Maritime Alliance to collectively confront the “unemployment wave” driven by automation.

The IDC asserts that it does not reject technology, but opposes its use to replace human labor. Human labor is more productive, reliable, and safe than any machine.

ILA President Dagget pointed out that a fully automated terminal at the Port of Los Angeles eliminated 800 dockworker positions. Unions at the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands previously estimated that their automated terminal project would result in nearly 20% job losses within two years.

The Global Anti-Automation Conference ultimately adopted the Lisbon Summit Resolution, whose framework includes coordinating strike actions, protecting collective bargaining rights, and demanding worker representation.

The union stated that if the situation persists, it will launch a coordinated global strike lasting three to four weeks. ILA President Dagett directly warned that selective strike actions would be taken against shipping companies that “defy” the resolution.

(Source: Weiyun Network)