Trade Unions: The Port of Bar must remain under the full control of the state of Montenegro, we reject closed-door negotiations

The Port of Bar must remain under the full control of the state of Montenegro, the representative unions of the company said.

"We reject any model that would, under the pretext of modernization, partnership or investment, enable the takeover of management, the reduction of workers' rights or the disempowerment of the state over its most important port. If workers' rights and the interests of the state are threatened, the unions will be ready to take more radical steps and call on the citizens of Bar to stand together with the employees in defense of the Port of Bar," the statement from both representative unions reads.

They expressed serious concern regarding the announcements that the future of the Port of Bar is being considered through talks with the Abu Dhabi Ports company and made it clear that it is unacceptable for decisions on strategic state infrastructure to be made without a full public debate, without guarantees for employees, and without the real involvement of unions.

"The Port of Bar is not an ordinary company, but the maritime gateway to Montenegro, an important part of the Bar economy and a key link in the country's transport, railway and logistics system. Behind the Port of Bar are not only numbers, contracts and interests, but also more than 500 families who directly live from working in the Port, as well as a large number of citizens of Bar and Montenegro whose existence is tied to its survival and development," the statement said.

Therefore, as they said, they will not allow their future to be decided without them.

"We refuse to have the future of the Port of Bar negotiated behind closed doors, through memoranda, negotiations and arrangements about which employees and the public do not have sufficient information," said union representatives.

They added that the fact that a company backed by foreign state capital appears as a potential partner is particularly worrying.

"This means that the Port of Bar is practically not being placed under the control of an ordinary investor, but under the influence and control of another state, with its own economic, logistical and geopolitical interests. Such an approach is unacceptable to us," the statement said.

When discussing management, expansion, joint investment or strategic partnership in the Port of Bar, they claim that it is not just about investment, but about control over Montenegro's strategic infrastructure.

"We reject the use of the term 'strategic partnership' as a nicer name for the sale, concession, transfer of management or quiet dispossession of the Port of Bar by the state. This is the path to a backdoor sale," the unions said.

An additional reason for caution, they believe, is the system from which the potential partner comes.

For employees of the Port of Bar, it is not unimportant whether a strategic partner comes from a country where trade union organizing, collective bargaining and social dialogue are protected, or from a system in which trade union freedoms are severely restricted.

Workers' rights, collective bargaining, and the role of unions must not be collateral damage to anyone's business or geopolitical interests.

"If the Government really wants to develop the Port of Bar, it should provide investments, reconstruction and development of the railway infrastructure, a stable business environment, modern equipment and a clear state strategy. Putting the Port of Bar in a situation where a foreign investor presents itself as the only salvation means an admission that the state has not done its job," the statement added.

They demand that representatives of employees and representative unions in the Port of Bar be included in all further discussions about the future of the Port of Bar, as well as that all documents, analyses, assessments, memoranda and possible models of cooperation be made available to the public.