22 October 2008

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Page context: International Road Transport Action Week 2008 > 22 October 2008

Turkey
Representatives of the ITF, IUF and ICEM have met in Istanbul to express their solidarity with the Turkish unions' campaign to reinstate dismissed workers at Unilever's subcontractors, Çipa and Şimşek. Top leaders from TÜMITIS, Petro-Is, Tekgida-Is as well as TURK-Is held a strategy meeting with the 3 GUFs on 20 October 2008. Altogether 87 workers that ITF-affiliated TÜMTIS has organised have been sacked. The delegation visited the picket line that the union set-up 117 days ago when the dispute started. Last week, the district court in Istanbul ruled in favour of the union and said that the subcontractors must bring these workers back to work. The union has filed several cases to the court, based on the dates that these workers were dimissed. Unilever is a multinational company in the food and chemical sectors. 140,000 of its 300,000 full-time jobs have been shed in the past 7 years in line with their strategy to generate 30 billion Euros in profit for their shareholders, according to the IUF.
(Email report by Mac Urata)

Iran
On 19 October, members of the Tehran Bus Workers' Union met together with other independent union representatives in support of the ITF Road Transport Action Week.
(Email report by Saeed Torabian)

View photos of activities in Iran >>

Canada
The CAW Local 114 in British Columbia has targeted bus drivers and couriers during the 2008 campaign. Union activists leafleted at the airport where the buses are mostly Universal Coach Lines (UCL). The Local also tried to leaflet at the UCL lot, however the drivers were reluctant to talk as the company owner is known to be anti-union. Activists also visited a commercial fuelling station at Marine and Boundary to speak to truck and bus drivers. On 16 and 17 October, the union targeted the courier industry and visited Grey Hound's freight shipping office, St. Paul's Hospital, the Bentall Buildings' loading dock which is used by UPS, DHL and Fed-Ex, as well as Courier Alley beside Bentall’s which has a number of smaller independent courier companies. The Local reports that "...it was a rewarding experience to get out and speak to union and non-union transportation workers and to let them know about the ITF and the CAW and that there is a common issues and goals for all transportation workers throughout our country and throughout the world".
(Email report by Eric Derksen and Reid Lewis)

India
On 13 October the Transport and Dock Workers Union in Mumbai displayed banners on the arterial roads leading to the docks and handed out leaflets explaining workers' rights including ILO Convention No. 153. A memorandum was passed to the local port authorities regarding safety and provision of welfare facilities including the upgrading of current rest facilities which have not been maintained. The week long campaign by activists culminated in a general meeting of transport workers on 18 October, attended by over 500 workers. The meeting was addressed by S.R. Kulkarni, President of the Transport & Dock Workers’ Union and P.K. Raman, Secretary. The meeting passed a resolution to demand the immediate reinstatement of 28 dismissed workers at the Gateway Terminals, JNP. Transport workers of all the contractors at Gateway Terminals held demonstrations at the gates of the company between 08h00 and 12h00. Leaflets were widely circulated and posters put up at gates, call stands, rest shelters, canteens and on moving vehicles.
(Email report by PK Raman)

Togo
On 17 October, the Fédération Syndicale des Travailleurs des Transports du Togo (FESYTRAT) held a meeting on the theme "Road transport workers in Togo and decent work". 87 transport worker union members took part in the activity which was held in Lomé. During the opening ceremony, the General Secretary of the Federation informed participants about the ITF Action Week and highlighted the fact that road transport workers around the world were taking part. After a very productive discussion, all transport unions were invited to work towards the creation of a collective agreement in the sector, which currently does not exist. The Campaign posters were distributed to the dfferent unions attending the event. The Federation resolved to continue to participate in future ITF Action Weeks.
(Email report by Emmanuel K. Agbenou)

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