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I'm helping in the translation of an article and I have 2 questions:

  1. What is the most used english word for "port workers" ? I found stevedore, longshoreman, docker or dockworker but don't know the best one to choose.

  2. how do I call a worker that doesn't have a fixed contract with the port ? I mean, workers that are called only when there's a service to be made and paid "by service". Initially I translated this to "loose worker". Is this a good term ? what is the best one ?

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    "Longshoreman" is probably the most familiar to folks in the US, and there is a 'Longshoreman's Union" for the workers.
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Dec 6, 2018 at 22:32
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    I think tenant contractor is what you want for 2.
    – Phil Sweet
    Commented Dec 6, 2018 at 23:06
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    You'll find that each region/country has a different preferred name for this role. In Australia, for instance, longshoreman would generally be met with blank looks! The other three are intelligible here, and stevedore is the term used by the union representing "waterside workers", but the workers are most commonly referred to as wharfies.
    – Chappo Hasn't Forgotten
    Commented Dec 7, 2018 at 0:36
  • @PhilSweet AFAIU from the site, a tenant contract is a company that has a regular contract with the port for suppliying some service and that has its own employees. The site is offering jobs at these companies. In our case the employer is the port itself that calls casual workers for a single service, when there is one. So I don't think the term "tenant" fits here. But anyway, thanks for your contribution.
    – Nelson Teixeira
    Commented Dec 7, 2018 at 17:27

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Each of those has a specific meaning, but dockworker and longshoreman are often used generically. For your second question, I'd say day laborer or casual labor fit the description

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