The recent signing of the Fifth Framework Agreement on Stevedoring introduces a new wording of the text that will be in force until 2031 and which fully incorporates the adjustments derived from the Supreme Court ruling. This is highlighted in a statement by the association Asoport. Among its novelties, it cites the possibility for companies to leave the CPEs (Port Employment Centers) without this implying a mandatory economic cost, thus consolidating a more direct relationship between companies and workers. Therefore, it states that “more than a simple temporal extension of the previous agreement, this is a renewed framework that adapts its content to the current legality.” The new text will be published in the Official State Gazette.
“From Asoport, we consider it positive that this new wording includes aspects that we have been defending for years, particularly the possibility for companies to disassociate from the CPEs without additional financial burdens. We understand that this renewed framework represents a step forward towards a more balanced model that is adjusted to the law, for the benefit of both companies and workers in the sector.”
Specifically, Asoport believes that the recent ruling of the High Court had already introduced substantial changes to the stevedoring model. The Joint Commission, which until now held a central place, loses much of its relevance: the obligation for all companies to finance the CPE is eliminated, the requirement to send reports on the probation periods of new workers disappears, and the restrictions that imposed a minimum of 50% working hours in part-time contracts are annulled.
Similarly, the ruling established that a company’s exit from the CPE cannot entail mandatory financial contributions. The only condition is to offer workers previously hired through the CPE the possibility of joining the company’s workforce. This is a practice that Asoport companies were already carrying out and which has always been part of the association’s vision: a direct relationship between company and worker.
Another fundamental aspect is that the organization of work — manpower, shifts, or doublings — corresponds exclusively to each company in dialogue with its workers, always within the framework of labor regulations, without the need for intervention by external bodies such as the Joint Commission.
