Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2010, published 100th ILC session (2011)

Dock Work Convention, 1973 (No. 137) - France (Ratification: 1977)

National policy aimed at providing permanent or regular employment for dockworkers. Further to the comments that it has been making for many years, the Committee notes the Government’s detailed report received in February 2010. The Government indicates that work aimed at optimizing the national collective agreement on dock work is going ahead in close collaboration with the social partners by means of amendments relating to vocational training, wages, the complementary retirement scheme and the reduction in hours of work. As at 31 August 2008, the total of 1,684 professional dockworkers comprised 1,319 monthly workers and 365 casual workers. The Government indicates that approximately 2,106 dockworkers who were not part of the former system have been employed on a monthly basis, including young persons who previously held “qualification” contracts and “employment initiative” contracts now hired on contracts of unlimited duration. In the extension to the interoccupational agreements of July 2005 and December 2006, vocational qualification certificates have been created and an individual entitlement to 20 hours of training has been established. The Government states that these certificates are intended to create objective qualification standards in the profession whose validity can be upheld in relation to third parties, demonstrating that dock work is an individual occupation in its own right. The Committee notes this approach with interest and requests the Government to continue to supply up-to-date information on changes in the number of dockworkers and also on the impact of the implementation of collective agreements on improving the efficiency of dock work.