A spokesperson for dockers in Trieste
said Wednesday that activity at most of Italy's ports will be
halted on Friday if the government presses ahead with its plan
to make the Green Pass vaccine passport obligatory for all
workplaces.
There have been fears about disruption to supply chains in
recent days due to the new obligation, especially in relation to
Trieste, where a high proportion of port workers are reportedly
not vaccinated for COVID-19.
"The only opening possible for us is to remove the Green Pass,"
Stefano Puzzer, a spokesperson for the Trieste port workers,
told the Huffington Post.
"Friday's blockade (in Trieste) is confirmed and today there
will be surprises because it won't stop just with Trieste.
"It won't stop with Genoa either, almost all of Italy's ports
will stop. We'll have confirmation tonight".
The Green Pass, which shows that a person is vaccinated for
COVID-19, has recovered from it or has tested negative in the
last few days, will be obligatory for all Italian workplaces as
of Friday.
The interior ministry seemed to seek to defuse the row on
Tuesday, with a circular letter that said employers at key
facilities such as ports could offer free swabs to workers to
enable those opposed to vaccination to obtain the Green Pass.
This caused controversy, with Labour Minister Andrea Orlando
saying COVID tests should not be free as this lessens the
incentive to get vaccinated.
The company that runs the port of Palermo has said it will not
pay for its workers to be tested for the coronavirus.
Some port companies in Genoa, however, are set to foot the bill
for the tests.
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