The landings of tuna in the Spanish ports of Ribeira and A Pobra need significant manual labor. The activity provides work to one hundred people each day.
According to Galician sources, during the past year, the tuna vessels that arrived at these ports unloaded more than 200,000 tons, a figure very similar to that of the year 2002.
The head of the United Workers Center (UWC) in Barbanza emphasized that this activity generates around one hundred jobs between both ports on a daily basis. Some days there are 300 workers needed to unload the great amount of tuna reefer carriers arriving at these Spanish ports.
A union representative indicated that most of the jobs located at the docks are temporary. These usually concern workers that are related to fishing, who were left unemployed or who are waiting until they can re-embark on a fishing vessel.
For several years, syndicates have been trying to regulate the landings activity so that the workers’ rights are respected.
The UWC spokesman said that a few years ago the center had reached an accord with the shipping companies, however only two carriers are fulfilling the agreement.