Page 42 - Mellinato, Giulio, and Aleksander Panjek. Eds. 2022. Complex Gateways. Labour and Urban History of Maritime Port Cities: The Northern Adriaticin a Comparative Perspective. Koper: University of Primorska Press.
P. 42
plex Gateways
1988, 141–2; Piccinno 2000, 122). In order to better understand causes
and processes underlying this trend, all collected information – obtained
from official workers’ lists, charters, and regulations – has been pooled
together, and each guild classified by the type of operations conducted
within the port organization. Since available data are not homogeneous
in time, they have been classified by centuries, to better highlight long
term trends. Also, quite significantly, in particular for certain jobs, such
as porterage and the transport of cargo by boatmen within the harbour –
even if, to a lesser extent, this was also the case for other jobs – the num-
ber of those who were not officially working, and therefore were outside
the guild system, was particularly high; in some cases there were as many
unregistered workers as guild members. Evidence of this can be found
in the numerous petitions and complaints submitted by guild mem-
bers to the authorities concerned. However, due to its illegal nature, it is
quite difficult to exactly quantify the actual number of informal workers
(Piccinno 2000, 7, 140–2).
Table 2.1: Guilds working in the port of Genoa
Guilds and related industry Average number of guilds members
XVI c. XVII c. XVIII c. 1797–1820
Calafati (Caulkers) 55 ? 108 ?
Shipbuilding Maestri d’ascia 21 ? 55 36
Sea Services (Shipwrights) (*)
12 12 15 ?
Stoppieri da pece 65 65 210 500
Barcaioli (Boatmen) - -8 ?
Cadrai and Rumentari - - 40 ?
(waste disposal) (**)
- - 20 24
Linguisti (Interpreters) ? 24 35 45
(**)
- - - 100
Piloti (Pilots) (**)
Minolli
Compagnia soccorsi marit-
timi (Rescue services Com-
pany)
42
1988, 141–2; Piccinno 2000, 122). In order to better understand causes
and processes underlying this trend, all collected information – obtained
from official workers’ lists, charters, and regulations – has been pooled
together, and each guild classified by the type of operations conducted
within the port organization. Since available data are not homogeneous
in time, they have been classified by centuries, to better highlight long
term trends. Also, quite significantly, in particular for certain jobs, such
as porterage and the transport of cargo by boatmen within the harbour –
even if, to a lesser extent, this was also the case for other jobs – the num-
ber of those who were not officially working, and therefore were outside
the guild system, was particularly high; in some cases there were as many
unregistered workers as guild members. Evidence of this can be found
in the numerous petitions and complaints submitted by guild mem-
bers to the authorities concerned. However, due to its illegal nature, it is
quite difficult to exactly quantify the actual number of informal workers
(Piccinno 2000, 7, 140–2).
Table 2.1: Guilds working in the port of Genoa
Guilds and related industry Average number of guilds members
XVI c. XVII c. XVIII c. 1797–1820
Calafati (Caulkers) 55 ? 108 ?
Shipbuilding Maestri d’ascia 21 ? 55 36
Sea Services (Shipwrights) (*)
12 12 15 ?
Stoppieri da pece 65 65 210 500
Barcaioli (Boatmen) - -8 ?
Cadrai and Rumentari - - 40 ?
(waste disposal) (**)
- - 20 24
Linguisti (Interpreters) ? 24 35 45
(**)
- - - 100
Piloti (Pilots) (**)
Minolli
Compagnia soccorsi marit-
timi (Rescue services Com-
pany)
42
