
Initiatives for and against automation are inherent in the
development of almost all industrial sectors and
services in modern times, including maritime transport and
port activities. In the latter sector,
distinguishes, among others, the battle waged by the union
International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), by
always critical of projects for the introduction of forms
automation in port operations. A position that
last month received the support of Pope Leo XIV who, having ascended from
just over a month to the throne of St. Peter, on the occasion of
of the celebration in Charleston of the 25th anniversary of the
International Dockworkers Union
Council (IDC), sent a message of greeting and congratulations
in which he said he was "pleased to know that, as trade unions,
you have accepted the challenge of working together "to prevent the
job losses caused by automation",
while ensuring fair and equal working conditions, as well as
job security for all workers, without
Discrimination. These efforts," the Pope wrote, "are
important for a profession as demanding as the
your. I encourage you, as Pope Francis has done, to continue
the initiative to teach young people in the suburbs "the
value of work" and to be inspired by the words of Jesus
and the teachings of the Church".
Continuing this struggle, the ILA called on all trade unions
of the maritime-port sector to meet on 5 and 6 November
Upcoming events in Lisbon for the event "People Over Profit:
Anti-Automation Conference" with the aim of working together
strategies and sharing experiences to make a united front against
the advance of automation. "As representatives of the
port workers and maritime workers - reads the invitation -
We believe that technology should be implemented to serve
humanity, not to replace it. Our voices must be
Listen and our jobs must be safeguarded."
"Automation - underlined the president of ILA,
Dennis A. Daggett, announcing this summit - is creeping into
each sector, little by little, sector after sector, while the
corporations hide behind words like efficiency and
progress. They are also promoting automation that destroys
jobs with the excuse of security. But this
that really want is just to reduce labor costs.
Recent reports - highlighted Daggett - have indicated that until now
50% of all entry-level jobs could
disappear within the next two years due to automation. Not
This is a problem that only affects blue-collar workers. It is
a crisis of the working class, which threatens the livelihoods
both white-collar and blue-collar workers. That you work in a
cabin of a crane or at the console of a terminal, the risks are the
Same. And so is the responsibility to act.
I come from a generation where we were taught that
Hard work pays off. Educate yourself. Learn a trade. Arrive early,
Stay late and be proud of your work. But today we are
witnessing a world in which even the most
qualified are told that they are no longer needed. Not because
work has disappeared, but why is eliminating labor
more profitable. What message does this send to our
sons? Going to college, drowning in debt, and
Facing a shrinking labor market? Or learn a
only to see automation take over the
A job for which you have formed a life? This cannot be
the future that we pass on to the younger generations of workers!"
"The Lisbon Conference - explained the President
of the ILA - is more than a meeting. It is a
position. A stand in favor of humanity
against algorithms. A stand in favor of workers
against shareholder profits. A stance for a
a future in which our children can dream big, work
hard and still find opportunities after accomplishing this
effort. Technology should be at the service of humanity,
Do not replace it. We are not against innovation. We are against it
Exploitation. We welcome tools that make our work
safest and more efficient, but we will never accept systems that
completely eliminate the human element."
On the other hand, the initiatives carried out at a rapid pace by the
South Korean industrial group HD Hyundai to introduce extreme shapes
automation and robotics and maritime transport
and in that of shipbuilding, which is the core
business of the Asian company. The latest in chronological order is
the initiative to develop and test quadruped robots and
humanoids specialized for use in the
shipbuilding that will be built by HD subsidiaries
Hyundai Samho and HD Hyundai Robotics in collaboration with the German company
NEURA Robotics, with a focus on the evaluation of the
potential of robots to increase efficiency, safety and
productivity. An initiative - specified the group
South Korean - also aimed at coping with a context of increasing
shortage of skilled labor in the sector.
With the initiative - said Sanghun Ryu, chief operating officer
by HD Hyundai Samho - "We will take the lead in the
Creation of a safer and more
production using specialized welding robots that
meet the different quality requirements of the industry
shipbuilding".