Stopover in Sète 2024: “Just the family!”, meeting with the port dockers during their sardinade

Les bénéfices de la sardinade seront reversés à l'association des dockers du port de Sète. Midi Libre – DORIAN CAYUELA

The dockers at the port of Sète form a close-knit community. Meeting with this unique family who organized their sardinade at the Criée.

"Can someone supply me with sardines ?" The voice of Stentor by Gregory Galtier surpasses in decibels the violin and the transverse flute which animate the stage of the Criée, on this Easter Sunday of Escale.

With his colleagues, Gregory is at the helm of the dockers' home which, from a strictly subjective point of view, makes the best sardinade of the festival. He is also the general secretary of the dockers' union at the Sète commercial port, which means that his voice counts. At the refreshment bar, as well as on the loading docks.

"Without us, the port is blocked"

"Here, we are all dockers from father to son, it's just family!&amp ;quot; An extended family, of which this day around ten worthy representatives were present to serve sea urchins, sardines and white wine to the numerous festival-goers. "People know little about our work, but what we do is central, without us the port is blocked."

Sea urchins and men Free Midi – DORIAN CAYUELA

Aware of the crucial position they occupy within the globalized navigation system, the dockers knew how to make this "thankless work" a strength. "Before it was considered a shitty job, but thanks to our solidarity, we became powerful", summarizes Anthony Oya , thirty years old, docker since 2015. He assures us, this does not stop at the gates of the port of Sète, and even goes beyond borders to extend to all ports in the world. ;: "there is international solidarity between dockers".

Family spirit

"What makes Sète special is that we have a port in the city", says Gregory Galtier, whose wife and daughter also work at the port. According to him, this Sète specificity accentuates "the’family spirit" which prevails in the profession. "At home, the elders pass on their know-how to the younger ones, that's how we train&quot ;, explains Anthony, whose father, 59 years old, is part of the older generation of dockers.

"We will miss them when they leave, but we are ready to take up the torch", assures he. In the meantime, the small team from the dockers home will not have been unworthy as restaurateurs for a day. All proceeds will be donated to the dockers' association which organizes meals and weekends, obviously always between colleagues.

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